Reluctant Catholic Thoughts about the church and my faith.


7
Jun/10
0

The Imitation of Christ

I've been reading The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. I've found it to be a great read right before bed - one or two "chapters." Each chapter is a look at a particular topic or theme. I've found the material on suffering to be fantastic and inspirational. It resonates with my experiences and feelings dealing with chronic migraines growing up.

When I got the book, a friend told me he uses the book to help lead discussion when he gets together with some friends. They take turns picking a chapter, they all read it, then they discuss it for a few minutes before they move onto whatever other topics they want to cover. I think that's a fantastic idea. I did a similar exercise with a friend a few years ago using The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.

The Imitation of Christ also reminds me a bit of the writings of Thomas Aquinas. It's more due to the tone than the content. The Imitations of Christ is much more accessible than Aquinas - both in terms of subject matter and writing style. But the tone is both formal and informal at the same time - like Aquinas. The author almost engages you in a conversation and brings you along with him.

Filed under: Books
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0)

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

No trackbacks yet.

Site Optimization by PHP Speedy Site Optimization by PHP Speedy