A review by wwatts1734
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

5.0

The Imitation of Christ is the most widely read book of religion besides the Bible itself, and it's not hard to figure out why. This concise little book is a compilation of all of the great spiritual lessons of the Church Fathers and the Spiritual Masters down through the ages. It is written in very vivid language (although it was originally written in Latin), so the prose is very easy to read and to relate. If you have a good translation, this book will come alive in your hands, which is so much more than I can say about most of the books of Christian spirituality that I have read through the years. By far, this is the best book of Catholic spirituality ever written.

The book begins with the soul and mind of the convert. How is it that we could ever live our lives without God, and once we have Him in our lives, how could that fact not be the most re-eminent truth in the world. From there we learn about how to grow closer to God, how to grow in virtue, how to reflect Christ in our own lives. The book concludes with reflections on the Eucharist. It is truly a beautiful work.

I have read that several of the greatest saints of the past 500 years have had a great devotion to this book. St. Therese of Lisieux, for example, memorized whole chapters of this book in her devotions. I really believe that, if one were to follow the precepts of this book completely, one would by necessity become a saint.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Catholic spirituality.