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Week 8 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

Week 8 : 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 18 : The Example Set Us by the Holy Fathers (February 20, 2012)
  2. Book 1 , Chapter 19 : The Practices of a Good Religious (February 23, 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. What sacrifices do you make for God? What are some of the greatest sacrifices you have EVER made for God? How do these sacrifices compare, in number and magnitude, to the sacrifices of the great Christians who preceded us? (Day 51)
  2. How is your “inner life” as a Christian? Do your private thoughts and attitudes reflect well on one who is seeking to imitate Christ? (Day 52)
  3. In chapter 19, Kempis recommends private devotions in additions in addition to public prayer. However, both are important. Private devotions may be different for each individual, and may change according to one’s circumstances. How does this advice match up to your personal practices of private devotion? (Day 54)
  4. Kempis wrote in Instructions for Religious about the importance of solitude in our times of prayer and devotion. Do you agree? Is there anything in the life of Christ which suggests the importance of solitude to those who seek to imitate Christ? (Day 55)

Footnotes:

  1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide. ↩
  2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ↩
  3. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide ↩

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Week 7 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

Week 7 : 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 15 : Works Done in Charity (February 13, 2012)
  2. Book 1 , Chapter 16 : Bearing with the Faults of Others (February 15, 2012)
  3. Book 1 , Chapter 17 : Monastic Life (February 17, 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. Is Kempis correct when he writes in Chapter 15 that God weighs the love that prompts a charitable act as much as the deed itself? How does this view fit with the common perception that good intentions don’t count for much? (Day 44)
  2. Do you agree that excessively annoying others is equally as bad as being too easily annoyed? (Day 45)
  3. Kempis wrote in Chapter 16 that “we want [other people] to be perfect, yet we do not correct our own faults.” Is he correct? Is this just human nature? How well does this observation fit you, personally? (Day 46)
  4. Should you disregard Chapter 17, which is titled “Monastic Life,” if you don’t live in a monastery? Though we live in a secular society, aren’t Kempis’ essential recommendations of dedication to God, service to others, refraining from idleness and gossip, and humility still valid and applicable to all. (Day 48)

Footnotes:

  1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide. ↩
  2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ↩
  3. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide ↩

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Week 6 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

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:

  1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide. ↩
  2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ↩
  3. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide ↩

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