Tonight, we are continuing with Book IV of Thomas á Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ. We will begin with the fourth meditation on Tuesday. One Christian who found a great benefit in reading through “The Imitation of Christ” was John Wesley, the Anglican priest and founder of the Methodist movement. Wesley translated the book into English and published the same so that members of his Methodist community could benefit from á Kempis’ writing. In his preface, Wesley set forth directions for reading “The Imitation of Christ” as follows:
- Assign some stated time every day for this pious employment;
- Prepare yourself for reading by purity of intention, whereby you singly aim at your soul’s benefit;
- Be sure to read not cursorily and hastily; but leisurely, seriously, and with great attention; with proper intervals and pauses that you may allow time for the enlightenings of Divine Grace;
- Intersperse here and there pious aspirations to God, and petitions for his grace;
- Conclude with a short prayer to God.
These are similar directions that Wesley also gave for the spiritual reading of Scripture as well. One of the ways that we see á Kempis’ influence on Wesley, is in his approach to Communion. In his sermon, The Duty of Constant Communion, Wesley begins with the dominical commandment to “Do this in remembrance of me.” Like á Kempis, Wesley extols the benefits of regular partaking of Communion beginning with the fact that Jesus tells us to. Wesley’s sermon provides us with a wonderful modern (and Anglican) understanding and application of á Kempis’ meditations contained in Book IV. If you have the opportunity this weekend, I would commend the sermon to you.
Dinner is at 6. The menu is chicken potato casserole. Meditations at 6:45. Compline at 8. Hope to see you here.
Do this in remembrance of me.
Lift Every Voice and Sing II: an African American hymnal #272 (H/T Fr. George Wells)
Do this in remembrance of me.
I hung on a tree for thee, for thee
Do this in remembrance of me.
Eat this in remembrance of me.
Eat this in remembrance of me.
I hung on a tree for thee, for thee
Eat this in remembrance of me.
Drink this in remembrance of me.
Drink this in remembrance of me.
I hung on a tree for thee, for thee
Drink this in remembrance of me.