Through today’s inspired readings from Sacred Scripture at Holy Mass, our attention is once again drawn to the importance of remaining vigilant, strategizing, and carefully considering our path, when it comes to our eternal salvation.
Far from it being an easy journey to Heaven, Saint Paul indicates that we will have to “stand firm” in our resolve to follow Christ, whom as we saw yesterday, invites us to count the cost of what it means to be his disciple.
Saint Paul encourages us to imitate him. He says, “Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us.” Well, if we are to imitate Paul, we need to know what he was like. And if we were to ask Paul himself what he meant by imitating him, he would repeat to us what he once said to the early Christian converts in Corinth; “Be imitators of me, just as also I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Ah.. okay, so there it is. What was Paul like? He was Christ-like. He wasn’t saying, “Look at how wonderful I am, be like me.” No, he was trying to live like Christ and when he was successful he was encouraging others to do likewise.
Therefore, to simplify things, we need to try to imitate Christ. How would we describe him? Let me give you my own description from what I see in scripture and what I have experienced in my unmerited relationship with him and then see how you can imitate those character traits!
Jesus is; compassionate, holy, gentle, meek, kind, peaceable, true, never idle and always occupied with the kingdom of the Father, and sometimes that meant he’d have to be stern, direct, bold, and tough in his love, always charitable and having become poor for our sakes, always reaching out, healing, uniting under the banner of God, merciful, full of love, practical, a teacher, a respecter of his parents, a lover of the Father and the Holy Spirit, extolling his mother beyond anyone else as she who did the will of the Father by hearing Jesus’ words and keeping them, a joy to be around for those who were on the side of truth and goodness, but not so fun for the wicked and those who gave themselves to evil, a person who said “yes” and meant it, and “no” and meant it also… a man who always meant what he said and did what he asked others to do. He never preached something he wasn’t living himself. No hint of hypocrisy, no tedious stumbling blocks placed on others. He told parables to drive home a point, but didn’t beat around the bush or filibuster, because truth and humility need none of those escapes. He was prepared for healthy challenges, and could always give an answer. He persevered. He sacrificed. He gave those who were lost a compass and the means to find their way. He gave the helpless the hope of a new day.
Okay, so you may be thinking: Wow, that’s a tall order! I have to imitate that? Yes. That’s actually not a complete and exhaustive character sketch of the beauty that is Jesus, but a snippet and yes we are called to imitate the Master. However, on our own, you’re right, it’s impossible and this is where we need the help and power of the Holy Spirit. It is only through the coming of the Holy Spirit into their lives that the apostles were transformed from men who were terrified after the death of Christ, to men who began preaching boldly in the streets of Jerusalem the beautiful truth of who he was and is, for he lives on and is not dead—he is indeed risen and they saw him with their own eyes and ate with him in his resurrected form.
In a world today that is bent on filling our minds with garbage and confusing our consciences and morals, we therefore read and imitate the lives of the saints, like that of saint Paul, to keep our minds like that of Christ’s—godly, dedicated and focused, and passionately united to the Father through the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul himself gave the Philippians way back then a solid piece of advice which will help us so much in today’s world
which we are called to navigate. He says this: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” Philippians 4:8.
Paul knew we could fill our minds with garbage and delusion, which is so tragic given that Jesus the light of the world, who is purity and goodness, has come to set us free from these things.
As we continue to rejoice today in all the blessings and graces God consistently sends us, all of it unmerited, and all of it mercy, let us seek above all else, to try to imitate Jesus’ qualities and pray, and connect to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask for the Spirit. Jesus himself once said, “If you who are evil know how to give good things to your children who ask you, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Ask. Believe. Rejoice. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord glorifying the Lord by your lives. Amen. Halleluia. Praised be to God.
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