Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Born in Kempen, Germany in 1380, he joined a group called the Brethren of the Common Life, which included both clergy and lay persons, and lived a simple life, supporting themselves through their own work. Later, he joined an Augustinian monastery, and was ordained a priest. He wrote what became the most influential Christian spiritual book outside of the Bible—The Imitation of Christ. Thomas held that we are all called to imitate Christ—not in his external deeds, but more in his internal attitudes. He believed, too, that everyone is called to holiness.The main obstacle on this path was not one’s external situation, but one’s self-attachment. Reacting against unnecessary academic complications, he insisted on leading a good life rather than on talking about such a life. He wrote simply, avoiding intellectual jargon or complicated theories. No wonder the book has appealed to so many—and also been criticized by some as being anti-intellectual. Its impact is undeniable.
Thomas died on May 1, 1471 at the age of ninety-two. Here are some quotes from his famous and simple masterpiece.
“God regards the greatness of the love that prompts a person, rather than the greatness of his/her achievement.”
“A humble knowledge of oneself is a surer way to God than a deep searching of the sciences.”
“I would rather feel contrition than be able to define it.”
“On the Day of Judgement, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done.”
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”
“If God were our one and only desire, we would not be so easily upset when our opinions do not find outside acceptance.”
“The Lord bestows his blessings there, where he finds the vessels empty.”
“A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.”
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