>Written in the early 15th century by Thomas à Kempis, a Dutch Augustinian monk, the Imitation of Christ is the most widely read Catholic book after the Bible. St. Thomas More carried it. St. Ignatius of Loyola read it daily. Six hundred years later, it still shapes souls because Thomas doesn’t flatter the reader, he challenges him. This is a no-nonsense guide to what it actually means to follow Christ: not just in name, but in how you think, suffer, and fight temptation. Every chapter cuts through the noise and asks the question men need to sit with: What does it profit you to know much, if you lack humility? One chapter at a time. Some will be short, some will hit hard. All of them are worth sitting with slowly. Let’s begin.>

Book 1: Chapter 1

“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.

Originally published in Catholic Manhood. Read original article