Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ
Overview
Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ contains 87 prayers and meditations written by medieval Catholic monk Thomas à Kempis. The prayers and meditations are divided into four parts:
- “Devout Meditations on the Life of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and upon the Benefits Wrought by Him for Us”
- “Of the Passion of Christ, according to the Four Evangelists”
- “Concerning the Resurrection of Christ, and His Appearances”
- “Of the Ascension, of Pentecost, and of Certain Other Matters”
The Logos edition of Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ makes Kempis’ work easier to understand and more accessible than ever, allowing you to get straight to the theology and the Scripture you’re studying without fumbling through multiple volumes in their print form. With Logos, the Scripture references link directly to your preferred Bible in your digital library, and the advanced search tools help you navigate material instantly. With the power and speed of your Logos library, Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ is accessible like never before for study.
- Brief biography of Thomas à Kempis
- Notes by the translator
Top Highlights
“Thy most sweet and perfect example, that I may be led to fashion all my actions and behaviour in accordance with it; that I may learn from it to be meek and lowly in heart; to be moderate in my taking of food; simple in my dress; modest in my bearing; not hurried in my gait; calm in my mind; not an idle talker; prudent in my actions; guarded both as to my outward and my inward life; watchful in prayer; devout in meditation; patient under correction; prompt in obedience; easy to be led in every good way; not slow, not careless, not sullen, not restless, not inconstant, not noisy; but kind, cheerful, affable, and unassuming.” (Page 43)
“O most sweet Jesus, Thou Brightness of the Eternal Glory, the lower Thou hast made Thyself, by taking upon Thee our nature, the more exalted dost Thou appear to me in Thy Goodness; the viler Thou hast made Thyself for me, the dearer hast Thou become to me.” (Page 13)
. . . the meditations here to be found are indisputably valuable by reason of the pure and fervent piety in which they abound and which will help many a soul to enter feelingly into the passion of Christ and dwell in His sacred wounds.
—New Catholic World
- Title: Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ
- Author: Thomas à Kempis
- Translator: W. Duthoit
- Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
- Publication Date: 1904
- Pages: 330
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471) was a late-Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ—a classic in Christian literature and one of the best-known books on Christian devotion. His name means “Thomas of Kempen,” his hometown, and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen. He also is known by various spellings of his family name: Thomas Haemerkken, Thomas Hammerlein, Thomas Hemerken, and Thomas Hämerken.
As he traveled with his brother to attend school in the Netherlands, he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life—followers of Gerard Groote's Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he joined the Mount St. Agnes monastery, where he spent the rest of his life in devotion and prayer.
Thomas' sermons, meditations, and prayers—compiled in The Works of Thomas à Kempis (7 vols) have influenced many Christian writers.