The Imitation of Christ. Thomas à Kempis
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the popularity of The Imitation of Christ, he has not yet been beatified by the Church.
A beatification process was initiated on his behalf about two centuries after his death, but the cause was put to a stop and never reopened after its founding bishop died. It has been widely reported that one of the reasons for this is that à Kempis may have been buried alive. When his remains were exhumed, it is reported that the inside of his casket lid contained scratch marks in the wood, and there were fragments of the wood under his fingernails. If such was the case, then he would have died without witnesses, which means it is possible he died rejecting the Faith in some way, especially in such terrible circumstances. Some have attributed this, however, to internal Church politics. Other accounts of à Kempis’ death do not indicate any such possibility.
Historians are unsure if authorship of The Imitation is entirely from the hand of à Kempis alone. It could be that he served as an editor for a collection of an array of writings pertaining to the spirituality of devotio moderna, from sermons and the like, originating from among members of the Brotherhood. Regardless, The Imitation has proven to be one of the most frequently read books of all time. It is said to be the second most published book in history, runner-up only to the Bible itself. First published on the eve of the Protestant Reformation, coinciding with the widespread use of the printing press, the text’s influence was quickly apparent.
The practical spiritual advice of The Imitation has been of great help to many in their varied spiritual journeys. It has played a central role in the spiritual lives of many heroes of the Faith, including Saint Thomas More, who said it was one of three books every Christian should own.
Scholars have claimed that many of the themes of the devotio moderna movement influenced the thought of the Protestant reformers. The Imitation became influential and formational for many involved in the Counterreformation, including Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Ignatius’ own Spiritual Exercises are based, in part, on The Imitation, which he came to know during his own conversion experience. Saint Francis de Sales called the text “a charming labyrinth of piety.”
The Imitation’s renown as one of Christianity’s most read texts is a fond reminder of the contributions of those who belonged to the Brotherhood, particularly Thomas à Kempis, and their desire to build up the Body of Christ by fostering imitation of the Head. After all, where else but from Christ do we learn how to make sense of life? He teaches us how to live as the men and women God made us to be, modeling the life of virtue and the primacy of charity. Christ’s way frees us from blockades and distractions and keeps us focused on our goal through prayer.
Christ, too, teaches us how to handle the complexities and burdens of life, such as embracing our struggles and sufferings as an opportunity to share in his Cross, our hope and salvation. The Imitation promotes all of this, as well as a strong Eucharistic devotion, seen as an opportunity for us to focus and be nourished in our total desire to imitate Christ. The Imitation beckons its readers to know him who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” and to be like Christ in all our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Introduction
By Leah Darrow
In today’s society, whom you follow and who follows you have become the benchmark not just for popularity and social or political power, but even identity. The voices we allow into our lives and the people we allow to lead us matter more than we might think.
We all imitate someone or something in our lives. We seek counsel, take cues from mentors or gurus that affect our health, finances, and relationships. We try to learn from their mistakes and replicate their successes. But what about Christ? Do we see him as our life coach, mentor, or teacher?
As the age-old axiom goes, we are free to make any decision in our lives, but we are never free from the consequences of our choices. Not all consequences are bad, either. There are consequences if we choose to imitate Christ, ones that lead us to a life of meaning, purpose, and authenticity. Yes, choosing to imitate Christ can be hard work. It requires that we remove the weeds or obstacles in our lives that keep us from following him fully. But the consequences of not following him ultimately leave us in a position of confusion and hopelessness.
I know a thing or two about the consequences of not following Christ. A good decade of my life was spent willfully away from Christ, definitely not following or imitating him. This empty adventure didn’t happen overnight, it was a slow fade into believing I knew what was best for me above everyone else, coupled with the shame of sin and doubting the mercy of God. This deadly combination of pride and shame led me to look to the world for direction.
Even though I was raised in the Catholic Church, I was lured into the world of imitation love, beauty, and success. With one sin after another, I found myself following a set of “rules,” so to speak, that promised everything: happiness, love, success, beauty, and wealth.
By the time I was in my early twenties, I was on the hit reality TV show America’s Next Top Model, living in New York City, and on my way to a promising career in the fashion and beauty industries as a professional model. My walk to work included passing pictures of myself on billboards in Times Square and on the sides of the subway trains. All of this fooled me into believing that I was right. I was right to abandon my faith, to abandon the way of Christ.
I was imitating the world and believed it was working to my benefit. However, in those quiet moments right before bed, when silence would creep into my conscience leaving me to think and reflect on whether I was really happy, Truth came knocking on my heart. The silent and interior ache of wanting more in life was unbearable. I would lie in bed with uncontrollable tears, admitting quietly to myself that I was not at peace with my life. It was during these moments that fear soothed me into believing I was too far gone to do anything about it. Hope and reconciliation were lost. I believed the lie that following Christ was not just too hard, but was a path I wasn’t allowed on anymore.
Many of us weigh the options and benefits before we commit to following Christ. It’s all too clear that following Jesus is not the path of least resistance; but in all fairness, Jesus never offered worldly fairness, ease, or comfort. In fact, he plainly spelled out for anyone who wishes to follow him that it will not be easy: it involves taking up our cross and following him every day, and the road is narrow, and the world will hate us because of him. Christ has no hidden agenda. He puts it all out there for us to make an informed decision. Yes, it can get pretty tough for us in this life, but we also know exactly what awaits us if we do choose to follow and imitate Christ: eternal life with him.
For the Christian, this idea of following Christ is no surprise. Imitating him, however, is much harder. To imitate perfection is quite the task — one that keeps many of us from even getting started. It can seem like we are being set up for failure when the task is to imitate perfection. But imitation isn’t just the sincerest form of flattery; especially when we’re talking about Christ, imitation is the sincerest form of relationship. That’s what Christ came to earth for in the first place. He came to offer us redemption and to draw us into a relationship with himself.
Trying to imitate Christ means we will fall, we will fail. He knows that. He is God. Yet he loves us too much to lower the bar for us.
I accepted the lie that I had failed and missed my chance to follow Christ, so I chose to make the best of it with my worldly aspirations as a professional model. But when I was in the middle of a fashion photo shoot for an international magazine in New York City, Christ encountered me and offered me something more. This photo shoot was supposed to bolster my career, placing me on the international modeling front for the first time. This was my debut.
I reported to the stylist for hair, makeup, and wardrobe, and the photo shoot began. We took picture after picture, and we only stopped to change sets and wardrobe. As we started back up again, I inadvertently looked into the flash when the first shot was taken. Needing to regain my sight and concentration, I held up a finger and looked away blinking quickly. Then something happened I did not anticipate. As I was trying to regain my focus, I saw a vision of myself, wearing the outfit I was modeling, like a little movie was playing. I