"What would Jesus do?"
That's the primary question Thomas à Kempis answers in his universally acclaimed work,
The Imitation of Christ. In 114 short chapters organized into four simple parts, this handbook on the spiritual life offers guidance on dozens of topics such as resisting temptation, avoiding hasty judgments, putting up with others' faults, remembering God's many blessings, self-surrender, minding our own business, and performing humble works.
William Creasy succeeds in creating a dramatically different interpretation of
The Imitation of Christ by working through its historical, cultural, and linguistic contexts.
This book inspired the likes of St. Thomas More, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Thérèse of Lisieux, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Along with such classics as Augustine's
Confessions, Teresa of Avila's
Interior Castle, and Ignatius's
Spiritual Exercises,
The Imitation of Christ continues to confront each generation of readers with the perennial truths of the Gospel.
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) was a medieval Dutch monk steeped in the mystical tradition of his time. A member of the Brothers of the Common Life, he was ordained a priest in 1413. His well-loved work, The Imitation of Christ, was written between 1420 and 1427 presumably as four booklets intended to instruct the novices of his community. It is one of Christian history's best-known works on spiritual devotion. This small book sidesteps academic pretension to consider larger truths. "A poor peasant who serves God," Thomas wrote, "is better than a proud philosopher who . . . ponders the courses of the stars."
Father Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R., is a teacher, writer, and poet. Ordained a Redemptorist priest in 1980, he taught the history of moral theology and Christian spirituality at the Alphonsian Academy of Rome's Pontifical Lateran University for more than twenty years, reaching the rank of Ordinary Professor. In 2008 he was installed as the John Cardinal Krol Chair of Moral Theology as a scholar-in-residence at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He also serves as the Karl Rahner Professor of Catholic Theology at the Graduate Theological Foundation in Mishawaka, Indiana. Raised in Staten Island, New York, and educated there through high school in local Catholic schools, he graduated from Dartmouth College and went on to receive four master's degrees, as well as doctorates from Harvard University, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, and the Graduate Theological Foundation. Billy is the author of numerous books and articles, both popular and scholarly.
After serving six years in the United States Marine Corps,
William Creasy received his bachelor of arts degree from Arizona State University in 1974, summa cum laude; his master of arts degree from Arizona State University in 1976; and his doctorate in English literature from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1982. He retired from the UCLA English faculty in 2005 after serving more than twenty years.
Creasy has been chosen as an honorary Mortar Board member at UCLA; he has been appointed as a member of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Spirituality Commission; and he has served as Scholar in Residence at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, the first Christian academic to hold that appointment. The San Diego Ecumenical Council has also honored him for his teaching and his work in ecumenism. Creasy has spoken at countless professional gatherings, and has served as keynote speaker at such functions as the Episcopal Bishops' Conference.
