Conformity to Christ: The Heart of Imitation of Jesus 

Let us remember that we must be perfect in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his humble, poor, benevolent, laborious and despised life. (OCL, III, 739, p.321)

According to St. Vincent Pallotti, imitation of Jesus calls for a person to become more and more conformed to Jesus. First, a person must be like Jesus in living a life of humility. When we consider the life of Jesus from its beginning to its end, we find Jesus lived a humble and self-emptying life. He left the Godhead and became a human person. Even in his human form, Jesus humiliated himself in accepting the dishonor of dying on the cross as a criminal. Second, a person must be conformed to Jesus in his life of poverty. He was born in a stable and laid to rest after his death in the tomb of someone else. The Son of Man had no place to lay his head. Third, a person must be as benevolent as Jesus. All through his public ministry, Jesus’ only aim was to do good for others. Fourth, a person must imitate Jesus in his laborious life. Jesus had no time to rest and relax, because  from  dawn  to  dusk  he  went  about  doing  God’s  will,  which involved hard work. Finally, we must be like Jesus in his despised life. During his lifetime, different people despised Jesus much of the time. But he courageously went about accomplishing what God wanted of him. When these qualities of Jesus take hold of a person, he would become a perfect imitator of Jesus. St. Vincent Pallotti set a wonderful example in this regard.

Do I acknowledge that genuine imitation of Jesus consists of conforming myself to Jesus? Do I conform to Jesus in his humility, poverty, benevolence, life of labor and being despised by others?

Whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others. Let us then pursue what leads to peace and building up one another. (Rom. 14: 18 – 19)