You Already Imitate Christ

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Holy Week is a time to commemorate and marvel at the power of Christ’s unconditional and self-giving love for all people – His immense, unequivocal, and eternal love for you. 

Christ’s love is uniform and widespread; all people are included. Now, He commands you to do the same: Love your neighbor as yourself, do good to those who hate you, forgive those who hurt you, and pray for those who mistreat you (see Luke 6). While the task to follow Him may be daunting, here are a few examples of how you already do it:

When you’re up in the middle of the night holding a crying child when you need to sleep, you follow Christ:

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).  

When you hold your tongue instead of lashing out when someone criticizes or mocks you, you imitate Christ:

“And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer” (Matthew 27:12).

When you help someone without judging whether they’re worthy, you imitate Christ:

“If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet” (John 13:14).

When you forgive someone, you imitate Christ:

“He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 7:48).

When you befriend the ostracized, love the addict, visit the prisoner, or feed the homeless, you follow Christ: 

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Also, the events of Good Friday assure us that Christ will always forgive us. We’re to do the same:  

“The other (criminal), however, rebuking him, said in reply, ‘Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:40-43).

Christ commands us to love everyone. He’s shown us how to give of ourselves, especially to those we find most difficult to love. You’ve probably already done so, as in the examples above. Ask Him for the grace to continue. Then, pay attention to the sense of peace He gives you when you do these things. His peace and His joy are how He’ll reward you. 

 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete”

(John 15:11).

May you take time this Holy Week to grasp Christ’s eternal love for you, and may this love inspire you to imitate Him more each day.

“How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” 

– Psalm 116:12

“Lord, I want to love as You do.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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