Review: The Imitation of Christ

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I discovered The Imitation of Christ by reading St. Therese's (the Little Flower) The Story of a Soul. She referred to Thomas a Kempis multiple times in the telling of her story. After having read Imitation, I can see where St. Therese gets her devout humility, since this devotion is central to Thomas a Kempis' religious life.

I began to read Imitation before Lent, but I didn't get too far into it and put it aside while I read other texts. It just happened that I picked it up again during Lent, and I will now read this text every Lenten season to come. A Kempis offers Catholics a true "reset button", which we are all asked to press at Lent - as we are asked to pray more, give alms, go to confession and to fast as we follow Christ's Passion. A Kempis' Imitation is the perfect text to help us perform such severity of devotion. He strips away the layers of ego as he shows the reader a true Catholic attitude, and as he gives us all hope for a better life in Jesus Christ.

Readers who have difficulty reading the text might want to skip to the last section of The Imitation, where they will find a beautiful devotion to the Holy Eucharist.

I highly recommend The Imitation of Christ as yet another worthwhile theological and devotional text in the history of the Catholic Church. It is a great Lenten read but, obviously, it can be read and appreciated at any time in the liturgical year.



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