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Catholic Church / Pacoima, CA

What Does it Mean to Imitate Christ?

The Presentation of the Lord

“Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!”Ps. 24

Who is Christ to you? Is He your model, your Good Shepherd, and your guide? If He isn’t, what place does He hold in your life? Do His commandments and teachings carry the same weight as anyone else’s? Are they on par with those of your parents or teachers? Whom do you follow?

“But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher…”Matthew 23:8

Indeed, Jesus is our teacher of life, the one who should accompany our steps on this pilgrimage through exile, leading us to eternal life with Him. He guides us and teaches us to live as children of God, staying on the path of life that He Himself is. The Word of God shows us our vocation and mission:

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”1 Corinthians 11:1

Following Jesus means imitating Him, as He calls us to follow Him. But this is not something physical, like following a bus down the road. It means following His teachings and the lessons He gave us through both His words and His example. He Himself explained what this entails and the conditions necessary to truly follow Him.

“lf anyone wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”Matthew 16:24-25

It is clear why He asks us to deny ourselves: otherwise, we would follow ourselves instead of Him. Like Mary, who said “yes” to God and declared, “Let it be done to me according to your word,” she had to renounce her own plans, desires, and will. Only by doing so could she fulfill God’s will.

Thus, to follow Him, we must be willing to do His will instead of our own. That is why He tells us repeatedly and in many ways: These are my mother and my brothers–those who hear the word of God and put it into practice. You are my friends if you do what I command you, and so on.

Through disobedience, sin entered the world–the rebellion that aligned us with God’s enemy and separated us from God. This resulted in humanity’s expulsion from paradise and the hardships we face in this mortal, imperfect, and frail life. Obedience, however, is the door that restores our access to divine dignity, makes us children of God, and heirs of salvation and eternal life.

“Though He was a Son, He learned obedience through suffering; and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.”Hebrews 5:9

We pray for the consecrated and religious individuals who have left everything to follow Him. We all are also called to this divine vocation—to be part of God’s family and to build His Kingdom. All Christians should see themselves in this way: we belong to Him and no one else. We are here to serve Him and His Church in whatever He asks of us.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Mal 3:1-4/Heb 2:14-18/Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10/Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
Monday: Heb 11:32-40/Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24/Mk 5:1-20
Tuesday: Heb 12:1-4/Ps 22:26b-27, 28 and 30, 31-32/ Mk 5:21-43
Wednesday: Heb 12:4-7, 11-15/Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a/Mk 6:1-6
Thursday: Heb 12:18-19, 21-24/Ps 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 9, 10-11//Mk 6:7-13
Friday: Heb 13:1-8/Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc/Mk 6:14-29
Saturday: Heb 13:15-17, 20-21/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6/ Mk 6:30-34
Next Sunday: Is 6:1-2a, 3-8/Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8 (1c)/1 Cor 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11/Lk 5:1-11

Observances for the Week

Sunday: The Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life
Monday: St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr; St. Ansgar, Bishop
Wednesday: St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
Thursday: St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
Saturday: St. Jerome Emiliani; St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin; BVM
Next Sunday: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time; World Marriage Day

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