You
can find my Post #1 on The Imitation of
Christ here.
Still
on Book 1, there were some comments and replies.
Gerri
Commented:
Having
spent 12 of my working years at a university, I saw people who thought way too
much of their own intellectualism. Humility they knew not. And, given the chaos
of the times of Imitation, especially the Papal split, I imagine the
intellectuals of the era were full of their own viewpoints. Kempis makes more
sense to me against such a backdrop. I can even understand how he makes the
Gnostic-leaning anti-physicality comments.
My
Reply:
Yes,
they (it's actually multiple writers) are reacting against the intellectualism
of their day. Perhaps this is why I bristle at some of the comments. What's odd
is that they are Augustinians, which I thought are supposed to uphold an
intellectual rigor. But I have to admit I don't know that much about them. I'll
try to explore it when I get some time.
One
more thing: I too have had a sense that, 'gosh, I can never live up to this,'
while reading the impossible (for me) standards of Kempis. But I can strive to
be better. That's the takeaway for me.
Agreed.
Even if you exclude the parts specific to monasticism, I could never live up to
it either.
Other
saints that were married: St. Gianna Molla, St. Rita, St. Monica. We do need
more. Marriage certainly makes you holier. Lord knows what I would have gotten
myself into if I had not married.
Susan
Commented:
This
is the point of "hating the world" - meaning I think, 'hating' the
pride and rebellion against God that -> the 'world' as we know it - post-Fall;
re-directing our mind and heart to God where it belongs...(I don't think he is
necessarily saying hate the things of the world, the body, animals etc.)
My
Reply:
I
don't know if he's saying that or not but the emphasis is so heavily on
rejection of the physical world that it certainly feels semi-Gnostic. And
that's part of our world view today. Outside an occasional acknowledgement in
the "Theology of the Body" the physical world is seen as bad while
the spiritual world is seen as good.
That
said, I acknowledge the really good spiritual advice that's in the book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From
Book 2:
Comment
1:
I
found Book 2 more to my liking. Here the
authors focus on the interior life, and it’s hard to disagree with anything
they say here. Chapter 4, “Purity of
Mind and Unity of Purpose,” is a case in point.
Here are the first two paragraphs:
A man is raised up from
the earth by two wings -- simplicity and purity. There must be simplicity in
his intention and purity in his desires. Simplicity leads to God, purity
embraces and enjoys Him.
If your heart is free
from ill-ordered affection, no good deed will be difficult for you. If you aim
at and seek after nothing but the pleasure of God and the welfare of your
neighbor, you will enjoy freedom within.
Perhaps
all the advice à Kempis and the other writers offer are in support of shaping
the Christian reader to these two virtues: simplicity and purity. Simplicity and purity are the foundations
from which will achieve the sole objective of life for à Kempis. And what is that? He tells us it will require two steps. First in Chapter 11, “Few Love the Cross of
Jesus,” he tells us what simplicity and purity conform us to:
If a man give all his
wealth, it is nothing; if he do great penance, it is little; if he gain all
knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great virtue and much ardent
devotion, he still lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing that is
most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he forsake
himself, completely renounce himself, and give up all private affections. Then,
when he has done all that he knows ought to be done, let him consider it as
nothing, let him make little of what may be considered great; let him in all
honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For truth itself has said:
"When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say:
'we are unprofitable servants.'
Then he will be truly
poor and stripped in spirit, and with the prophet may say: "I am alone and
poor."(2) No one, however, is more wealthy than such a man; no one is more
powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all things and think of
himself as the least of all.
It
is to “renounce” oneself completely. Simplicity
and purity require us to be “poor and stripped in spirit.” It is a deconstruction of oneself to its
essence, a squeezing out of the imperfections to become a pure image of Christ..
The
second step is elucidated in Chapter 12, “The Royal Road of the Holy
Cross.” à Kempis starts with a quote
from Jesus from Matthew: “Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Me” (Matt
16:24). The entire Imitation of Christ can be summarized in that quote. The deconstructing of oneself is lodged in
the “deny thyself.” “Take up thy cross
and follow me” is the second step.
Why, then, do you fear to
take up the cross when through it you can win a kingdom? In the cross is
salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection from enemies, in
the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the cross is strength of mind,
in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross is highest virtue, in the cross is
perfect holiness. There is no salvation of soul nor hope of everlasting life
but in the cross.
But
what does it entail to take up the cross?
Either you will
experience bodily pain or you will undergo tribulation of spirit in your soul.
At times you will be forsaken by God, at times troubled by those about you and,
what is worse, you will often grow weary of yourself. You cannot escape, you
cannot be relieved by any remedy or comfort but must bear with it as long as
God wills. For He wishes you to learn to bear trial without consolation, to
submit yourself wholly to Him that you may become more humble through
suffering. No one understands the passion of Christ so thoroughly or heartily
as the man whose lot it is to suffer the like himself.
In
short it means suffering. That is the
ultimate goal, to suffer like Jesus on the cross because such suffering brings
salvation. This is the part of Christ’s
life we are to imitate which the title alludes to:
The whole life of Christ
was a cross and a martyrdom, and do you seek rest and enjoyment for yourself?
You deceive yourself, you are mistaken if you seek anything but to suffer, for
this mortal life is full of miseries and marked with crosses on all sides.
Indeed, the more spiritual progress a person makes, so much heavier will he
frequently find the cross, because as his love increases, the pain of his exile
also increases.
So
when you imitate the suffering Christ, you reach perfection.
When you shall have come
to the point where suffering is sweet and acceptable for the sake of Christ,
then consider yourself fortunate, for you have found paradise on earth. But as
long as suffering irks you and you seek to escape, so long will you be
unfortunate, and the tribulation you seek to evade will follow you everywhere.
If you put your mind to the things you ought to consider, that is, to suffering
and death, you would soon be in a better state and would find peace.
And
finally à Kempis punctuates his thesis in his final paragraph of the twelfth
chapter:
When, therefore, we have
read and searched all that has been written, let this be the final conclusion
-- that through much suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God.
So
follow the arch of his logic. Simplicity
and purity lead us to deny oneself, and by denying ourselves, we take up the
cross and follow Jesus, which must inevitably lead to suffering. In this we achieve salvation.
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