The Imitation of Christ

[Gauracandra]

A few days back I made a posting on Christian Bhakti. In it I quoted another book that briefly referenced “The Imitation of Christ”. Well today I was wandering through Barnes & Nobles (a book store chain) and came across a single copy of this book. Holy smokes is this book great. Every sentence is amazing to read. It is so good I can’t believe it. The cover says “Next to the Bible, the most widely read spiritual work of all time.” I don’t know if this is true, but I can see why. It is fantastic. I highly recommend if you get a chance to buy it. My copy only cost a little more than $10. It is really well worth it.

 

Here is a small section I just randomly opened to that prompted me to make this posting:

 

Love wakes much and sleeps little and, in sleeping, does not sleep. It faints and is not weary; it is restricted in its liberty and is in great freedom. It sees reasons to fear and does not fear, but, like an ember or a spark of fire, flames always upward, by the fervor of its love, toward God, and through the special help of grace is delivered from all perils and dangers.

 

He who is thus a spiritual lover knows well what that voice means which says: You, Lord God, are my whole love and my desire. You are all mine, and I am all Yours. Dissolve my heart into Your love so that I may know how sweet it is to serve You and how joyful it is to praise You, and to be as though I were all melded into Your love. Oh, I am urged on by love and go far above myself because of the great fervor I feel through Your unspeakable goodness. I shall sing to You the song of love; I shall follow You, my Beloved, in flights of thought wherever You go, and my soul will never be weary in praising You with the joyful songs of spiritual love that I will sing to You. I will love You more than myself, and will not love myself except for you; and I shall love all others in You and for You, as the law of love which You give commands. Love is swift, pure, humble, joyful and glad, strong, patient, faithful, wise, forbearing, manly, and never seeks itself or its own will. Whenever a man seeks himself he falls from love. Love is circumspect, meek, righteous; not weak, not flighty or concerned with vain things. It is sober, chaste, firm, quiet, and well poised in its outward display. Love is subject and obedient to authority, low and despicable in its own sight, and devout and thankful to God. Love always trusts and hopes in God, even when it has but little devotion and little savor of God. Without some sorrow and pain, no man can live in love.

Gauracandra