The Imitation of Christ

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Description

A spiritual classic, the devotional writings of The Imitation of Christ have exercised a profound influence in the lives of its readers for over 500 years. Thomas More, Ignatius Loyola and John Wesley are among the many who have acknowledged their debt to it. The book is divided into four distinct parts: Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the Soul, The Interior Life, Internal Consolation, and An Invitation to Holy Communion.

Sample Text

Loving Jesus Above All Things BLESSED is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things. Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened. Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail. Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another—He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you. You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for "all flesh is grass" and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away. You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself—to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.

About the Author(s)

Thomas a Kempis was born at Kempen near Dusseldorf in 1380. At 13, he left the local grammar school to join his elder brother John who had attached himself to the Congregation of the Common Life. This community had been founded by Gerald Groote in 1376 to challenge the laxity of the times by a return to apostolic zeal and simplicity. In 1399 Thoams' mentor Florentius allowed him to travel to Zwolle to seek admission to the new monastery at Mount S. Agnes, where his brother had become Prior. He was professed in 1406 and received in the priesthood in 1413 at the age of 33. Thomas wrote many other devotional books besides the The Imitation of Christ, and several biographies. His long life was devoted to the study of the Scriptures and the Early Fathers. In 1425, he was elected Sub-Prior, acted as the Master of the Novices and kept the monastery's Chronicles. He died in 1471.

System Requirements

Installed size (unless otherwise indicated): Approximately 264.125 KB. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Requires iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running latest version of iOS. Download size: 264.125 KB. Android Requires Android OS 4.4 or later. Download size: 264.125 KB. Windows Phone Requires Windows Phone 7.5 or later. Download size: 264.125 KB. Windows Store Requires Windows 8, 10, 11 or later. Download size: 264.125 KB. Windows Desktop Requires Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 or later. Download size: 478.875 KB. Mac OS Requires macOS 10.13 or later. Download size: 264.125 KB.