Imitatio Christi: The Inner Life

Penguin Press has brought out a series of reprints from a dozen of their well loved well worn classic texts under the series title Great Ideas. The lone overtly Christian volume among the Great Ideas is The Inner Life, containing books one through three of Thomas a Kempis' Imitation of Christ, beautifully translated by Leo Sherley-Price. It's an ideal book to sample on a quiet day, to read on a retreat day, or to engage with during a longer time of retreat. The first book provides practical suggestions for spiritual awareness in everyday living. The second book provides further suggestions for disposing oneself to contemplative experience. And when one is ready and has time, the third book guides deeper prayer through a dialogue between Christ and the Disciple on the care and cares of the soul. This tiny little Penguin volume packs a wallop and is a worthwhile purchase for anyone seeking to grow in prayer.