Book Review: The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis

      For my midterm book review, I have chosen The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis.  Thomas Kempis was a German monk of the fifteenth century, and Imitation is his most popular work of prose, also considered one of, if not the greatest, Christian devotional book.  After taking the time to read it, I have to agree with that assertion.  Prior to reading it, I was warned that it would be a life changing experience.  Without a doubt, it was!

      I was drawn to this book because of its title, The Imitation of Christ.  If there is one thing I have tried to emulate in my life, from as young as fourteen years of age, it is to be more like Christ, in every aspect of my life.  As I began to read this book, my attention was immediately grasped within the first couple of pages.  The book is actually four brief “books” grouped together, with each book focusing on a separate area devoted to Christian life.  They are:

      Book 1: Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life

      Book 2: Admonitions Concerning the Inner Life

      Book 3: On Inward Consolation

      Book 4: Of the Sacrament of the Altar

 

      In this book, the chapters are each a few paragraphs long, not very extensive in appearance, but loaded with great spiritual information.  Right from the start, my attention was caught by chapter two of the first book: “Of thinking humbly of oneself.”  This resonated with me so much due to a noticeable humble nature I am told I possess.  I have never been one to willingly accept praise for a job well done or do something good for someone with the expectation of reward or acknowledgement.  I have never been one for compliments.  There is a great line in the beginning of the book that sums up a lot for me:

“The greater and more complete thy knowledge, there more severely shalt thou be judged,

unless thou hast lived holily.”

     

      As you read further into the book, do not be alarmed if you do not connect with all the book recommends.  If you were to connect with all the ideas in the book, then you would certainly be the perfect emulation of Christ, and we know that perfection is something we strive for but never fully achieve, and that’s ok.  God, and his son, Jesus Christ, love us more because we strive to be perfect rather than actually be perfect.

      Here are a few more anecdotes from the book that I connected with:

“That we ought to deny ourselves, and to imitate Christ by means of the Cross.”

(Book III, Chapter LVI)

“That a man must not be too much cast down when he falleth into some faults.”

(Book III, Chapter LVII)

“That all hope and trust is to be fixed in God alone.”

(Book III, Chapter LIX)

      If you are interested in adopting spiritual/devotional reading as part of your spiritual exercises, I very much recommend this book, with one caveat.  Do not go into this book like you would approach a fictional novel, you will most definitely lose the sense of what the book is meant for.  What I found most helpful in reading this book, was reading it in lectio divina style.  Lection divina is a form of spiritual reading in which you pray and reflect while you read.  You would read some, then reflect and pray on what you read and then read again.  As the length of the book is somewhat moderate, reading it as lectio divina will prolong the reading longer than expected, but it will be worth it.

      I very much enjoyed this book and I anticipate it will not be the last time I read it.  I may possibly adopt it as a Lenten spiritual reading exercise during future Lenten seasons.