Tractatus Prior, Pars Prior, Praefatio
Tractatus Prior, Pars Prior, Praefatio
If you desire to be perfectly cleansed from vices, to be nobly enriched with virtues, to be profoundly enlightened in the Scriptures, to triumph gloriously over enemies, to be abundantly consoled in adversities, to live devoutly on earth, to be frequently moved to compunction in your bed, to weep sweetly in prayers, to be fervently ignited in meditations, to persevere in good deeds, to be filled with spiritual joys, to be caught up in an excess of mind, to enjoy divine secrets, to die happily in your last moments, and to reign eternally in heaven: then engage yourself in the life and passion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom the Father sent into the world to provide an example of perfection for all and to lead his followers to the eternal kingdom. So love Christ, follow Jesus, and embrace the cross.
Read the original Latin
Si desideras perfecte mundari a vitiis, si nobiliter ditari in virtutibus, si altissime illuminari in scripturis, si gloriose triumphare de inimicis, si copiose consolari in adversis, si devote conversari in terris, si frequenter compungi in cubilibus, si dulciter flere in orationibus, si ferventer accendi in meditationibus, si perseverare in bonis actibus, si repleri spiritalibus gaudiis, si rapi in excessum mentis, si divinis frui secretis, si feliciter mori in extremis, si perenniter regnare in caelis: exerce te in vita et in passione lesu Christi, filii Dei, quem pater misit in mundum, ut omnibus praeberet perfectionis exemplum et sequaces suos ad aeternum perduceret regnum.
Ama igitur Christum, sequere lesum, amplectere cruciBxum.
Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ companion
à Kempis wrote 86 of these — you've prayed 8
The full cycle, from the creation of man to Pentecost, runs as free daily devotionals in Chosen Portion.
à Kempis structured the work as day-by-day thanksgiving over the whole life of Christ, and Chosen Portion runs that original cycle as a modern daily devotional from creation to Pentecost.
- All 86 meditations in modern readable English, one per day — about three months of guided prayer
- Resurrection-appearance meditations (21 chapters) continue your Eastertide after the guide ends
- Daily reminder plus progress tracking, so the practice survives past Holy Week