As i've said, this blog is for the good purpose, and so it is. To bring more accesssible to to many some good books worthy to be think of and meditated and put into practice.
I'll be starting with "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas A Kempis.
This version is:
Title: The Imitation of Christ
Creator(s): Thomas, Ă Kempis, 1380-1471
Print Basis: Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company, 1949, c1940.
Rights: Public Domain
CCEL Subjects: All; Classic; Mysticism; Proofed
LC Call no: BV4821 .A1
LC Subjects:
Practical theology; Practical religion; The Christian life;
Works of meditation and devotion
Which is Taken from the on-line source:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation/mp3/kempis-imitation2-01.mp3
I omit the whole foreword of this version in order to proceed imediately to the body
Happy Reading!!!
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. John 8:12. 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.” [1] 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.
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[1] Eccles. 1:8.
