Bless me a sinner, Venerable Father Silouan!
I too am a bit afraid of commenting on this topic . . .
But what the . . .
The Imitation of Christ was in the personal spiritual libraries of a number of Orthodox saints and teachers. Its Rhenish spirituality was represented in the lives of such Orthodox "evangelical" saints as St Tikhon of Zadonsk who, like the Imitation of Christ, promoted the frequent reception of Christ from the two Tables of the Scriptures and the Altar.
Traditional, contemporary Orthodox viewpoints on the Imitation contrast it with St John of Kronstadt's "Life in Christ" adding that Theosis is not about "imitating" Christ, but participating in Him through Communion, prayer etc.
And the Ladder of Divine Ascent by St John Climacus is to the East what the Imitation is to the West, but, as Kallistos Ware says in the Paulist Press publication of the Ladder, both have different and distinctive approaches.
Perhaps the problem here, then, is the Venerable Thomas A. Kempis' title, since the Imitation most certainly does speak movingly and beautifully about prayer and the need for constant prayer.
The fourth part is completely about Holy Communion and I always use it in preparation for Holy Communion!
For Kempis, living "In Christ" is truly a priority, to be sure.
Any "imitation" of Him by way of virtues can only come about in a Christian life that is in Communion with Him by Grace through faith, prayer, the scriptures and Communion.
There is very little that differentiates the Imitation from the style of writing of St Nicodemus the Hagiorite of Mt. Athos (who translated it into Greek under another title in any event, along with the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola and the "Spiritual Combat" - originally the work of an Italian priest).
St Nicholas Cabasilas' writings reflect many spiritual impulses of Kempis, including the former's focus on devotion to the Heart of Christ!
The St Vladimir's publication of Cabasilas' work on the Life in Christ adds that his liturgical veneration of the "Heart of Christ" is markedly different from the individualistic, pietistic Western devotion to the Heart of Jesus.
Frankly, that is nonsense. The two views are really identical as it the object of the devotion - the Heart of Jesus Christ. It's there in black and white in both books.
True, the Eastern Church has no pictures of the Sacred Heart, but its tradition is grounded in the liturgical veneration of the Pierced Side of Christ, that we honour when we go to Communion by kissing the Chalice, by the honour shown to the Lance that is in most iconic representations of the Cross of Calvary and in other liturgical references to the Heart of Christ e.g. the Service to St John the Theologian resting his head on Christ's chest etc.
As for Theosis, Meyendorff admits that Catholic theology's emphasis on the "Beatific vision" is very close to the teaching of the Eastern Church on this score.
There is no reason why the Imitation cannot be part of a well balanced schedule of spiritual reading for Eastern Christians.
Alex
