“Anyone who wishes to follow Me must deny self, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
(Mk 8:43)
Imitation of Christ I.I
Walk with Christ
No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness (Jn 8:12). These words of our Lord counsel all to walk in His footsteps.
Therefore, if you want to see clearly and avoid blindness of heart, it is His virtues you must imitate.
Make it your aim to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ.
Christ’s teaching surpasses that of all the Saints. But to find this spiritual nourishment you must seek to have the Spirit of Christ. It is because we lack this Spirit that we so often listen to the Gospel without really hearing it. Those who fully understand Christ’s words must labor to make their lives conform to His.
False Goals vs. The One Goal
Studying a lot to the point of being able to give a lecture on the Trinity will get you nowhere if you do not have humility, and therefore displease the Holy Trinity.
Lofty words neither save you nor make you a Saint: only a virtuous life makes you dear to God.
It is also better to experience contrition than to be able to define it.
Ultimately, being well versed in Scripture and all the sayings of the philosophers will not profit you if you are without God’s love and His grace. All things are vanity (Eccl 1:2). Nothing matters except to love God and to serve Him only. The height of wisdom is to set your goal on heaven by despising the world.
Vanities of Vanities
How foolish it is to seek and to put your trust in riches that will pass.
How foolish to go after worldly honors and to set yourself above others.
How foolish to follow the impulses of the flesh, or to covet those things which so soon will cost you a heavy penalty.
Finally, how foolish to wish for a long life, but not care whether it is a good life; to be concerned only with the present, with never a thought of eternity and the endless joy that awaits you.
Indiana… Let it Go
Often think of the proverb: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing” (Eccl 1:8).
Determine to detach your heart from the love of visible things, allowing it to center on those unseen.