"When Jesus is present, all things go well and nothing seems difficult. But when Jesus is absent, everything is hard. When Jesus speaks not within, our comfort is worthless. But if Jesus speaks but one word, we feel great consolation.”

That passage from The Imitation of Christ inspired Fr. Robert Nixon to offer this analogy.

“If a person had Superman as their butler and personal assistant, that would be a very kind of cool thing. But we've got here the invitation of having Jesus as our constant companion and friend and defender. And Jesus, of course, is an infinite being, infinitely powerful, much more than anything we could possibly imagine.”

Episode six of The Commentaries dives into Book Two of The Imitation of Christ, chapters 7-12.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

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"With two wings a man is lifted up above earthly things,” Thomas à Kempis writes in The Imitation of Christ. “That is, with simplicity and purity. Simplicity must be in the intention, purity in the affection. Simplicity aims at God, purity takes hold of him and tastes him. If you intend and seek nothing but the will of God and the prophet of thy neighbor, you shall enjoy eternal liberty.”

Fr. Robert Nixon elaborates on this idea in episode five of The Commentaries: The Imitation of Christ. “We can often find our lives and our minds and souls made complicated by the multitude of things we need to deal with,” Fr. Nixon says. "By the complex web of relationships in which we find ourselves. But he is telling us to try to keep ourselves simple and to keep life simple. And I think most people recognize that this is very useful advice."

Episode five of The Commentaries dives into Book Two of The Imitation of Christ, chapters 1-6.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

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We live in a world that thrives on constant stimulation. Even a monk in Western Australia, like Fr. Robert Nixon, isn’t immune to the noise.

“We've got, of course, many human and social distractions,” Fr. Nixon says. “And on top of this, there are a whole range of work demands, and then there's the whole electronic thing, which I guess as a monk I'm rather lucky to have to a much lesser extent to most people in the world.”

No matter what your station in life may be, the ability to pursue silence and solitude is highly meaningful. The following words from The Imitation of Christ might be more valuable today than when they were written more than 500 years ago.

“If thou wilt withdraw thyself from superfluous talk and idle visits, as also from giving ear to news and to reports, thou will find time sufficient and proper to employ thyself in good meditations."

Episode four of The Commentaries dives into Book One of The Imitation of Christ, chapters 20-25.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

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Sometimes what we perceive as the worst things in life turn out to be blessings.

The Imitation of Christ addresses the benefits of adversity. "It is good for us to have sometimes troubles and adversities, for they make a man enter into himself that he may know that he is in a state of banishment and may not place his hopes in anything of this world. It is good that we sometimes suffer contradictions and that men have an evil or imperfect opinion of us even when we do and intend well. These things are often helps to humility and defend us from vainglory."

Fr. Robert Nixon puts it like this, “These things, when we encounter these, can be good reminders that we don't want to put all our hopes on the things of this world because ultimately they're inconstant and deceptive.”

Episode three of The Commentaries dives into Book One of The Imitation of Christ, chapters 12-19.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

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“Avoid worldly company, useless conversations, and those overflowings and attachments of the heart, which are neither regulated nor governed by the law of God. For all of these things dissipate the soul.”

This admonition from The Imitation of Christ serves as a great reminder for all of us to train our minds and hearts on the most important things in life. Or, as Fr. Robert Nixon says, “We need this caution, and prudence, and restraint, in order to keep ourselves focused on what really matters.”

This episode of The Commentaries dives into The Imitation of Christ Book One, Chapters 6-11.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

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Fr. Robert Nixon begins The Commentaries with a self-examination on the virtue of humility.

“It is often said that humility is the foundation of all the other virtues. And in trying to become who or more than what God created us to be, we actually end up becoming less than what we could be.”

The following words of Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ drive home Fr. Nixon's point: "The more and the better thou knowest, the more heavy will be thy judgment unless thy life also be more holy. Be not therefore puffed up with any art or science, but rather fear upon account of the knowledge which is given."

This episode of The Commentaries dives into The Imitation of Christ Book One, Chapters 1-5.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

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Your guide for this Commentaries series on The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB. Fr. Nixon is a Benedictine monk and Director of the Institute for Benedictine Studies at the Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity in New Norcia, Western Australia. At the age of 33, Fr. Nixon moved on from his career as a professional musician and dedicated his life to God. He is a world-class translator of ancient Latin texts and, as part of the TAN Resurrection series, he has translated multiple life-changing books into English for the first time in history, including several by Thomas à Kempis.

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The Commentaries is a podcast series from TAN in which you’ll learn how to read and understand history’s greatest Catholic works, from today’s greatest Catholic scholars. In every series of The Commentaries, your expert host will be your personal guide to not just read the book, but to live the book, shining the light of its eternal truths into the darkness of our modern trials and tribulations. Visit http://TANCommentaries.com/ to get your copy of the book, and to subscribe for access to all the great reading plans, new episodes, bonus content, and exclusive deals for The Commentaries listeners.

And for more great ways to deepen your faith, check out all the spiritual resources available at https://TANBooks.com and use Coupon Code COM25 for 25% Off your next order.