Having the Spirit of Jesus

In order to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ effectively, we must need to have his spirit. Thus, all the interior operations of our soul become similar to those of the same Lord Jesus Christ. (OOCC, III, p. 38)

Imitation of Jesus, for St. Vincent Pallotti, does not consist of a mere superficial and external living of the life of Jesus. It is an internal experience in relation to which the very life of Jesus grows and develops in the life of a Christian. Imitation of Jesus consists of having the spirit of Jesus within the depth of a person, which in turn animates every activity of the person. When this takes place, the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, motivations and desires of the person grow more and more like that of Jesus, in the process effectively bringing about an identity with the Lord Jesus. As the result of this experience, it is no longer the person who lives and acts, but rather it is Jesus who lives and acts in the Christian. According to St. Vincent Pallotti, a person can arrive at this depth level of imitation of Jesus, especially with the help of the sacrament of the Eucharist. For in the Eucharist, a Christian encounters the Lord face to face in the depths of his being. Encountering the Lord in the Eucharist would be an apt moment to imbibe the true spirit of Jesus which consists of the true imitation of Jesus.

What is the nature of my imitation of Jesus? Does my imitation of Jesus make me more and more like Jesus? Do I live my life in such a way that Christ can act in and through me? Do I nourish my imitation of Jesus through the sacrament of the Eucharist?

For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth … [and] in every place your faith in God has gone forth. (I Thes. 1: 8)