Week 6 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.¹

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 1 , Chapter 13 : Resisting Temptation (February 6, 2012)
2. Book 1 , Chapter 14 : Avoiding Rash Judgment (February 9, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections² on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:³

1. “The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death. We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation.” (Day 36)
2. Kempis writes in Chapter 13 of Book 1: “Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. “ If temptation performs a useful purpose, should we seek out temptation? (Day 37
3. Why is judging others such a bad thing? Isn’t judging a necessary and useful part of normal human interaction? (Day 40)
4. During Kempis’ lifetime, many Christians “seemed to believe in an ‘arithmetical piety’ in which one sought to add up sufficient ‘good deeds’ to outweigh one’s sins. The quantity of prayer was emphasized over prayer quality.” Do you find evidenence of this kind of thinking today? (Day 41)

Footnotes:

Week 5 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.¹

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 1 , Chapter 11 : Acquiring Peace and Zeal for Perfection (January 30, 2012)
2. Book 1 , Chapter 12 : The Value of Adversity (February 2, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections² on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:³

1. Kempis was born in a small town in about 1380 A.D. Would it be possible for a modern person to write a book remotely similar to “The Imitation of Christ”? (Day 29)
2. Note the life goals of The Brotherhood of Common Life. Which of these pursuits are desirable or even possible for modern Christians? (Day 29)
3. What does Kempis mean when he writes, “Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.” Have you found this to be true in your experiences? (Day 30)
4. Is Kempis correct when he writes, “It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from [becoming vain].” (Day 33)

Footnotes:

Week 4 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.¹

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 1 , Chapter 8 : Shunning Over-Familiarity (January 23, 2012)
2. Book 1 , Chapter 9 : Obedience and Subjection (January 25, 2012)
3. Book 1 , Chapter 10 : Avoiding Idle Talk (January 26, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections² on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:³

1. Kempis cautions us about the nature of the friendships we make. Are we correct in concluding that it is neither possible nor desirable to be everyone’s best friend? (Days 22 and 23; Book 1, Chapter 8)
2. What did Kempis mean when he wrote, “It a very great thing to obey, to live under a superior and not to be one’s own master, for it is much safer to be subject than it is to command?” (Day 25; Book 1, Chapter 9)
3. Kempis correctly advises to avoid gossip. How do we distinguish between gossip, polite conversation and edifying discussion? (Day 26; Book 1, Chapter 10)
4. God created humans to live in a society. When and why is solitude desirable? (Day 27)

Footnotes:

Week 3 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.¹

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 1 , Chapter 5 : Reading the Holy Scripture (January 16, 2012)
2. Book 1 , Chapter 6 : Unbridled Affections (January 18, 2012)
3. Book 1 , Chapter 7 : Avoiding False Hope and Pride (January 19, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections² on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:³

1. 1. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. (Day 16)
2. True peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions, not in satisfying them. (Day 18)
3. There is no harm in thinking less of yourself than others; but it is very bad to think you are better than everyone else. (Day 19)
4. Placet-ne Deo. In every undertaking, ask first, will it please God, or displease him? (Day 20)

Footnotes:

Week 2 : our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.¹

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 1 , Chapter 3 : The Doctrine of Truth (January 9, 2012)
2. Book 1 , Chapter 4 : Prudence in Action (January 12, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections² on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Discussion Notes:³

1. The author of Ecclesiastes says, about the things he had done in his life, “all was vanity and a chasing after wind.” Doesn’t this life have a purpose? (Day 9)
2. Knowledge vs. actions: “On the day of judgment, surely, we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done; not how well we have spoken but how well we have lived.” (Day 9)
3. “A man doesn’t know if he is good and virtuous until he has been tried by adversity.” (Day 11)
4. How do we know when it is best to act quickly; and when it is best to “consider things carefully and patiently in the light of God’s will?” (Day 12 & 13)

Footnotes:

This week, our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 1, Chapter 1: Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on Earth (Posted January 1, 2012)
2. Book 1, Chapter 2: Having a Humble Opinion of Self (posted January 4, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections¹ on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.
2. Challoner’s Notes on The Imitation of Christ; Part 1 of 3 — Early life of Thomas à Kempis.

Discussion Notes:²

1. Why Imitate Christ? (Day 1)
2. Why Read The Imitation of Christ? (Day 2)
3. Having a Humble Opinion of Self; Ama Nesciri — Love to be unknown. (Day 4)
4. Pride: The Moral Opposite of Humility. (Day 6)

Footnotes:

In 2012, the Men’s Breakfast group is reading The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis. The reading schedule is posted online. It involves about 5 minutes (or less) a day, to read just the text—a little longer if you follow the other suggested daily readings. Men, feel free to attend the breakfast meetings, whether or not you do the suggested reading. The recommended reading won’t hurt you, but we’ll cover the material at breakfast. Our goal this year is to seriously consider the imitation of Christ.

If you attend the Men’s breakfast group, don’t worry about the book or materials. As always, you buy your own breakfast, we’ll supply the materials.

Anyone else can obtain the book in EPUB or PDF format from Google.com/books. Amazon sells an inexpensive version of The Imitation of Christ for about $2.50. There are hundreds of translations of The Imitation of Christ. The main text I am using is the one by Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton, first published in 1940.

This is week 51 of the ONE YEAR BIBLE CHALLENGE.

SUGGESTIONS: