Imitating Christ?

Some time ago in a discussion about Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, a theologian friend complained to me, How could, he asked with some indignation, someone claim to imitate Christ? Yes, obviously, it makes sense to follow Christ as disciple. But to attempt to do what Christ did? To imitate the divine Son?

I suspect that he thought of Thomas’ book in terms of its title, “Imitatio Christi,” which some, with a limited knowledge of Latin, could misunderstand as he did as meaning an arrogant attempt to claim for oneself a status far beyond what one can ever attain.

Except that this book, the most widely read book except for the Bible, does not even vaguely consider imitation as an arrogant attempt to be like Christ.

In the very first chapter, Thomas begins with a quotation from John 8:12, “he that follows me, shall not walk in darkness.” Our “chief endeavour,” he then writes, should be to meditate upon the life of Christ. We ought to imitate his life and manners. Which may sound arrogant – except if one reads further.

But this meditation is not to find out what Christ did so impressively and to then also do it. The meditation upon Christs life is not about moralizing, about excelling in good deeds and producing works of merit.

We need to meditate upon the life of Christ, so that we can be liberated from the blindness of our heart. Our existence consists of desiring all the visible, material and corruptible matters like power, fame and pleasures. We have no vision of what really matters.

So, to be transformed from such an empty lifestyle, we need to conform our lives to the life of Christ. It is when we reflect on Christ that we discover the love of God.

This does not mean that we can explain or understand Christ. We do not meditate upon Christ’s life to develop intricate theological systems. Arrogance is evident in the lives of those who think “profoundly” about Christ, to produce deep thoughts about the Trinity, to argue carefully about the nature of contrition. One can know the whole Bible by heart and be steeped in philosophical thought, without living the mind of Christ, without feeling contrition in the divine presence, without a shred of love in one’s heart.

We arrogantly embrace vanities of the world, “except to love God and to serve Him only.” This is the real point of his introductory chapter. Not Christ, but Christ’s role in directing us to God’s love and inspiring us to serve God is what really matters. Christ brings in us an awareness of the invisible things, of the grace and goodness of God, of the divine presence.

Imitating Christ means wanting to sacrifice everything in us and around us, all the visible things that stand in the way of God presence.

Ultimately this is what Thomas’ book is about. He writes, encourages, reprimands so that we can enter into the presence of God, liberated from our arrogance and our empty claims.

By seeking conformity with Christ, we are transformed into the divine presence. Transformation is thus mediated by Christ.