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The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL
The First Chapter
IMITATING CHRIST AND DESPISING ALL VANITIES ON EARTH
HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness," says the Lord.[1] By these words of
Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly
enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort,
therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.
The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and
he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who
hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of
Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to
pattern his whole life on that of Christ.
What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility,
you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and
just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel
contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the
whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live
without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except
to love God and serve Him alone.
This is the greatest wisdom -- to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of
the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It
is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to
follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment
later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a
well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to
make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and
not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.
Often recall the proverb: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear
filled with hearing."[2] Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of
things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their
own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God.
