A perfect complement to the movie, The Passion of The Christ, this book presents reflections that will enable the reader to focus deeply on the true meaning of the Passion. In his famous spiritual classic, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas À Kempis reminds the reader that in order to become a follower of Christ one must imitate his life, and to accomplish this he adds: "Let it then be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to imitate Christ without first knowing him, and the best way of getting to know him is by meditating on his life as it is described in the four Gospels." Thus, in this wonderful meditation book, perfect for Lent, or any time of the year, the great spiritual writer and monk gives profound, short reflections on Gospel passages about the passion and death of Christ. Each chapter, focusing on a specific aspect of the Passion of Our Lord, gives a prayer, a meditation and spiritual advice and closes with another short prayer. Very much in the same style as his The Imitation of Christ, this book covers the entire Passion, and makes great spiritual reading for anyone. Illustrated.

Humility is the heartbeat of the saints. It is the virtue that conforms us most closely to Christ. In this short but deeply rich book, the great spiritual master, Thomas à Kempis, will teach you the necessity of humility and how to cultivate it, how to identify the manifestations of pride, how to elevate your mind to God, and how to pray with humility and reverence.

Readers of The Imitation of Christ have sometimes asked why Thomas à Kempis does not mention the Blessed Virgin in his magnificent work. The present book is an answer to their question, compiled from his many devotional writings about her. In its selections it is unique, preserving the poetic heart of its author better than other edited works.

The Imitation of Christ, also by Thomas À Kempis, is the most famous and beloved Christian devotional ever written. The simplicity, piety and wisdom that readers have found in that classic will also be discovered in these new modern-English translations of A Little Garden of Roses and The Valley of Lilies. The aim of these works is to draw the reader to a closer union with Jesus. While Imitation sets forth the principles of discipleship, the two works in this volume offer more practical advice. They treat of the virtues needed to advance toward God. The introduction to this volume includes a brief biographical sketch of Thomas À Kempis, a fourteenth-century German monk, as well as some notes about the texts themselves. Like all meditation books, explains the introduction, this one is not to be read in one sitting, but pondered and prayed over slowly. "Pause and reflect on what [À Kempis] has to say," advises Fr. Joseph Tylenda, the translator, "and then join with him when he address the Lord and listen to Him when He speaks to you."

The Imitation of Christ is the work of at least three men: Gerard Groote, Florent Radewijns, and Thomas a Kempis. The first two were founders of the Brethren of the Common Life, a lay religious society that flourished in the Netherlands from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. Working on their manuscripts, first as a compiler and editor and then as a coauthor, was Kempis. So successful were Kempis's efforts that the work became the golden treasury not only of their community but also of the contemporary spirituality movement known as the Modern Devotion. Its prescriptions might very well be known as the Perennial Devotion for its continual appeal through the centuries. In its fifteenth century Latin original the Imitation was not a silken cord of consecutive prose. Rather it was a series of scratchings, the sort that a spiritual director would note down in preparation for sermons and addresses. What wasn't always in the original was exactly how Kempis developed each topic sentence or wisdom quotation as he delivered it. In this new rendition William Griffin recovers the original experience of listening to Kempis as he taught and preached to his spiritual charges. Using a variety of literary and historical means, Griffin enhances the original, making the insights of this seminal exposition of Christian life more accessible.

First published in 1646, Spiritual Desertion offers comfort and consolation to believers whose circumstances cause them to wonder if God has abandoned them. Reformation leaders Gisbertus Voetius and Johannes Hoornbeeck demonstrate that the anxiety of doubting believers is proof that God has not abandoned them; rather, it is evidence of the work of the Spirit in their hearts.

Published in over 6,000 editions before the year 1900, The Imitation of Christ has been more widely read than any other book in human history except the Bible itself. It has been called “the most influential work in Christian literature,” “a landmark in the history of the human mind,” and “the fifth gospel.” Now, and for the first time, comes an exhaustive edition of this classic work, a work that is bound to become a classic in its own right. Fr. John-Julian introduces Kempis and his Imitation in ways that will shock many who have read the book before. For example, Protestant devotees to the book may be astounded to discover that Thomas was not only a Roman Catholic but an ardent traditionalist contemplative monk as well. And devoted Catholic readers may be amazed to discover that he was a radical moral reformer and part of a group twice formally charged with heresy. Notes and introductions to every aspect of The Imitation open the meaning of this classic to the next generation of readers.

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST.... A cornerstone book in our rich Christian literary heritage. Audio Excerpts Download Color timeline Detailed index Author biography Illustrations Study guide Sensitively revised in modern English One of an expanding collection Thomas Kempis leads the honest seeker as deeply into the inward life with Christ as it is possible for a human being to go, allowing the reader to draw away from the noise and clamor of the everyday world to personally experience Jesus' promise: ''Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you'' (John 14:27). It took Thomas a Kempis seven years to write this book by hand over five centuries ago. Since then, The Imitation of Christ has been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible, and is acclaimed by people of all faiths to be one of the greatest spiritual books ever written. This Christian masterpiece is sensitively revised, contains more than 1,000 scriptural references and notes, and features a section of devotional meditations.