Description: 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.
Brief description:
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) was a medieval Dutch monk steeped in the mystical tradition of his time. A member of the Brothers of the Common Life, he was ordained a priest in 1413. His well-loved work, The Imitation of Christ, was written between 1420 and 1427 presumably as four booklets intended to instruct the novices of his community. It is one of Christian history's best-known works on spiritual devotion. This small book sidesteps academic pretension to consider larger truths. "A poor peasant who serves God," Thomas wrote, "is better than a proud philosopher who . . . ponders the courses of the stars."
Review Quotes: "Humility is the true foundation of our salvation, since God himself, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, demonstrated this virtue through His Incarnation and His sacrifice on the Cross, as it is summarized by St. Paul: "He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross" (Phil. 2: 7-8). Therefore, St. Augustine rightly said: "Almost the whole of Christian teaching is humility" (De Virginitate, 31). Into the Kingdom of Heaven will enter only the humble one, who is filled with supernatural charity and humility according to the example of Christ, as we read it in one of the central messages of the Gospel: "Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 18: 3-4). For all who desire to know the true spirit of the Gospel and to imitate Jesus Christ, the book of Thomas a Kempis on Humility is a spiritual help of a timeless value."
- Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Mary in Astana