The Imitation of Christ, Book II: with Edits, Comments, and Fictional Narrative by Timothy E. Moore

By Thomas a Kempis and Timothy E. Moore

Book II: Admonitions Concerning Interior Things.

Thomas a'Kempis advises those who want to follow Jesus to go deeper by clearing out space within themselves to find friendship with Jesus. That friendship requires an emptying of self and an acceptance o

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Moore
• Release date: Nov 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781087926483

Thomas a Kempis

Thomas à Kempis, (1380 – 1471) was a late medieval German-Dutch monk who wrote The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular and best known books on devotion. Born in Kempen to a blacksmith father and schoolteacher mother, Thomas attended a Latin school in the Netherlands from the age of 12 to 19. While there he became a member of the spiritual movement Modern Devotion, founded by Geert Groote. In 1406, he entered the monastery of Mount St Agnes in 1406, where he copied the bible four times, wrote four booklets and instructed novices. Thomas More called “The Imitation Of Christ” one of three books everybody ought to own.

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The Imitation of Christ, Book II

With Edits, Comments and Fictional Narrative

Thomas a’Kempis 1380-1471

Edited by

Timothy E. Moore, Esq.

Tunic Patch Press Tunic Patch Press

Copyright © 2020 by Timothy E. Moore, Esq.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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Contents

I. Openings

Foreword

Why Read The Imitation of Christ?

II. The Imitation of Christ

1. The Inward Life

2. Humble Submission

3. The Good, Peaceful Disciple of Christ

4. A Pure Mind and Simple Intention

5. The Consideration of One’s Self

6. The Joy of a Good Conscience

7. The Love of Jesus Above All Things

8. The Intimate Friendship of Jesus

9. The Want of All Consolation

10. Gratitude for the Grace of God

11. The Few Who Love the Cross of Jesus

12. The Royal Way of the Holy Cross

III. In That Same Year

From the Chronicles of Mt. St. Agnes, 1421

In that Same Year, Spring & Summer, 1421

In that Same Year, Autumn & Winter, 1421

IV. Closings

Scripture Memory Prayers, Questions and Key Quotes.

Life of Thomas a'Kempis.

Book III, Chapter 1

About the Author

I

Openings

Forward

Why Read The Imitation of Christ

Foreword

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful: and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray: O God, Who instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in that same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Twenty-plus years ago, I moved back to my hometown of Springfield, Illinois. We wanted our children to be in a city with a less hurried environment where our kids could get to know their grandparents.

Donna and I started visiting Churches in our new town, and many were lovely but it took a while to find one that we wanted to call home. We wanted orthodoxy with a welcoming atmosphere and challenging sermons. If there was a school, even better. We found that Church and moved in near-by. We jumped right into the various family ministries such as lectoring and nursery. The parish was just beginning a twenty-four-hour Adoration Chapel: We signed up.

But the ministry with the most impact on me was the nascent men's ministry. Based on the Covenant/Promise Keeper's model, men met once a week in small groups of four to six guys. There we shared our joys, battles, and frustrations trying to live out our Christian lives in our vocation of marriage in the post-modern world. Usually we would pick a religious self-help book to wade through, such as When Iron Sharpens Iron, or Thirty Days with Jesus, and the like.

Many of these books caused us to wade deep into our faith while other books barely got us damp. Many had a marriage focus. After going through several books over the years our group met, we decided to dip into The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a'Kempis.

Deep calls upon Deep, as Psalmist says. We opened up the hidden treasures of The Imitation: variety, profundity, conviction, joy, grace. One of us would pick a meditation that reflected an area of struggle or insight or spiritual growth. In our small group, one fellow would read the passage, and then share how that passage impacted him. If there was a Scripture associated with the passage, we would consult the biblical reference in tandem with the meditation. We were never disappointed with the inspiration, challenge and insight offered by the Venerable Thomas a’Kempis.

While we did not always follow a pattern in our reading, the major themes of each book of The Imitation are laid out as follows: Book I is written for the acolyte entering the devout life and learning to let go of worldly attachments. Book II turns that novice's focus to the development of an inward spiritual life with Christ. Book III focuses on the mature disciple's struggles to maintain a deep faith and personal fellowship with our Lord. In Book III, Thomas uses conversations between Christ and the Disciple to focus one daily struggles and dilemmas. Book IV focuses on the Bread of Life and its centrality in our worship.

On any given Tuesday we would thumb through The Imitation and dissect a passage. Generally, no matter which passage was selected, everyone at the table contributed some insight gained from the text. The Imitation provided ample food for our weekly journey. Each of us mined valuable insights on a practical and spiritual level, applying wisdom and teaching from six hundred years ago today.

Since The Imitation was originally written for monastic, celibate men and women, at first I thought we would be limited in our discussions on marriage because none of the books explore marriage directly. But the reality was that The Imitation addressed our issues along with the trials and tribulations associated with any vocation - ordained or married or single: Problem solved. We extrapolated from those teachings the principles most likely to form us into better husbands and fathers. By becoming more Christ-like, our families would benefit. The more you hang out with Someone, the more like Him you become.

By studying The Imitation, we became closer to each other and to Christ. There is a holy magic that happens which promotes strong bonds of intimacy between those who endure challenges together, especially here, helping each other up the road to Calvary. On such a journey we live in close quarters with one another. Like Simon of Cyrene, our friendship becomes defined by shared sacrifice that comes with each rocky step as we empty of our very selves for each other, our families, and our Church. Like St. Dismas, the Good Thief, we finally figure out that we have to bear our cross and then look to Jesus for our salvation - right down to the last moments of our life. As alone as we may feel, we don’t walk The Way alone. We don’t die alone.

There were many other benefits of studying The Imitation in our group. In Book II, especially, Thomas guides us on an inward journey and explores such topics as submission, being peaceful, staying pure in our thoughts and actions, improving our friendship with Jesus and becoming lovers of our own cross as well as the Cross. These last three are particularly difficult for men since men tend to see themselves as soldiers doing battle for the King, rather than as submissive servants. Yet in Book II, Chapter 8, Thomas calls us to do battle for the Lord. Thus, the whole person is addressed - servant and leader. Not by nuance, but by deliberate design intended to bring the fullness of our humanity into relationship with Jesus. This is part of how we become perfect: becoming a complete human being, not a flawless human being. The Imitation presents us this challenge. Jesus leads us in The Way, He tells us The Truth, He feeds us with The Life, which is His very self. He is there inviting us to His home, where He has a place especially for us. By imitating Him, we introduce others to Him. Let us, therefore, turn our gaze inward and look into the eyes of Jesus, where Christ will meet our gaze with a knowing and unblinking stare, when, like St. Dismas, Jesus says to us, Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.

Why Read The Imitation of Christ?

* * *

Each book of The Imitation of Christ is best taken in short doses. Book II is no different. Although it is the shortest of the Books, it is a cornucopia of prayer and reflection.

You could read the entirety of Book II in a single sitting, but I recommend that you take your time and read only one chapter a day. Each chapter is a stand-alone, and one chapter does not necessarily follow the thoughts from the previous chapter (although some do). You may want to select chapters for inspiration or insight. However, taking one chapter at a time and meditating on that chapter is the best way to work through The Imitation.

At times you will hit upon a verse in a chapter that is profound or moving or just makes you think. Many lines are quotable wisdom, as you shall see. If this happens, then stop, take the time to ponder the insight, and then move on. I hereby give you permission to highlight and write in this book! The path is simple but rocky and uphill. Have you ever tried carrying a substantial piece of wood uphill? Barefoot? Expect some challenges! Your reward will be a fruitful, spiritual progression toward the following of Christ.

For example, recently I was going through a certain meditation and the time, place and context of the meditation-as-prayer brought me to an emotionally moving moment. I found myself in full mental adoration of gratitude to Almighty God for His super-abundance as I am blessed with an embarrassment of riches. Over many years I had read the following passage from Chapter 7 of Book II many times. But that day, at that moment, it struck me in that inspiring way. I keep coming back to it as it kept running through my mind and cutting in-roads to my heart and my soul:

You will be quickly deceived if you look only at outward appearances.

For if you seek your comfort and profit in others, you will often experience loss.

If in all things you seek Jesus, doubtless you will find Jesus.

But if you seek yourself you will indeed find yourself but to your own detriment (and ruin).

For if you do not first seek Jesus you are more hurtful to yourself than all the world and all your adversaries.

This struck me during a time when I was particularly self-absorbed, taking my friendship with Jesus for granted. That meditation on that day, forced me to do an instant reset. God was speaking to me through this little book, reminding me that my friendship with Jesus was sorely lacking.

Of course, there is no end to The Imitation. You don't finish it any more than you finish reading the Psalms or the Gospels. Some passages envelope you in such a way that you want to return to regularly because the wisdom and piety explored are so deep that our Lord will quickly transport you to a place of holy perspective, and thereby transform you with that prayerful reflection. Or, He may hit you with a two-by-four, as in my example, above.

Once you've prayed through your selected passage, don't rush through the chapter. Slow is good. Be methodical. Chew on the concepts and the words. Pay attention. Many verses have direct or allegorical references to Holy Scripture. I've noted the obvious ones or those found referenced from other consulted editions.

If something particular strikes you, write it on your white board or on a sticky-note. You may find yourself still thinking of this concept a week later. Try it with this verse from Chapter 11:

"Oh, how