The Imitation of Christ is the writing of Thomas Haemerken who was born near Kempen. He later became known for the locale of his origin and thus Thomas à Kempis is our common rendering of his name and authorship. The Imitation of Christ is a volume which collects four main books dealing with primarily personal development, purity and piety of the reader, leading them to ultimate union with Christ.
The first two books in the collection are direct admonishments from Thomas directing the reading is proverb-like directives, pitting the failure of human effort against the solace of God’s grace. The last two books are scripted dialog between Christ and the disciple (implying the writer and also the reader). The writer chooses to take a blunt instructive tone in the entire treatise, not commending or encouraging the reader, but handling the vast majority of the topics through warnings. Of particular import to Thomas was to communicate how no human should find consolation in this life, but only in Christ. Repeatedly, he creates the conversation to repudiate the sinful desires of the reader. The only consolation from struggles, temptations, persecution or failures is temporary consolation of God’s approval and sustenance through God’s grace, and death which leads to union with Christ after purgatory.
Thomas has seems of brilliance that flow into praise of God, but he is darkly adamant against letting any such joy spill out in actual physical, emotional or social contexts. Here is a brilliant quote from him in regards to praise of God:
Would that our sole occupation were the perpetual praise of the Lord our God with heart and voice! Had you no need of food, drink or rest, you could praise God without ceasing, and give yourself wholly to spiritual things.[1]
For Thomas privacy of all things is a matter of utmost piety. The book provides brilliant glimpses into sinful and human motivations and how to conquer such devices through keeping vigilant in confession, penance and communion. Thomas fails to learn the lesson of St. Francis however, and reverts to the pre-Franciscan millennial in which solitude from people was a necessary act of lifelong piety. Rather than acquiring the self-abasement of the monastics and combining the communal commitment of Francis, Thomas à Kempis undoes the brilliance of Francis advancement and calls all devout Religious to return to solitude and cares none for the clearly Biblical mandate of brotherly love and the community of the Church.
The book, like the other Christian mystic writings of the 10th-14th centuries, summates with its goal of union with Christ. This is particularly interesting in “The Imitation” in that Thomas focuses exclusively on the Eucharistic sacrament as the ultimate manifestation of God’s help for the Christian. This is woven beautifully into a prayerful call for Christ to join the believer in the communion sacrament, where Thomas says :
Dear Lord, I long to receive You with deepest devotion and ardent love. and with all the affection and favour of my heart, as many Saints and holy persons have longed to receive You in Communion, who were especially pleasing to You by the holiness of their lives, and were on fire with devotion. O my God, Eternal Love, my supreme good and eternal delight, I wish to receive You with the most eager devotion and deepest reverence that any of Your Saints have ever felt. or could feel.[2]
Product Link: The Imitation of Christ (Penguin Classics)
Review by Kim Gentes
[1]Thomas à Kempis, “The Imitation of Christ”, (London, England:Penguin Books 1952), Pg 65
[2]Ibid., Pg 214