March 21


Jesus Lives and Acts in Me

        In all my works may it always be Jesus Christ who lives and acts in me. United with him, I offer you the correspondence of his most holy humanity. (OOCC, X, p. 270; STA, 324)

St. Vincent Pallotti wished to offer to the heavenly Father a life of total correspondence to the humanity of Jesus. Jesus lived in the most perfect way a human person was expected to live in the world. Thus, the best way of being a human person would be to imitate Jesus in his humanity. St. Vincent attempted to live his human life in the manner in which Jesus lived his humanity while he was living on the earth. In order to make the correspondence to the humanity of Jesus possible, he wished that Jesus lived and acted in each of his works. If Jesus were to live and act in him and in each of the acts he performed, his works would be like that of the works of Jesus and he would be similar to Jesus in all his actions. He constantly opened himself to Jesus and allowed Jesus to dwell in him and act in him. He attempted to act as if Christ himself was acting through him. In this way, he was able to live the humanity of Jesus in his own humanity. It was such thoughts and actions derived from them that directed the spiritual life of St. Vincent Pallotti, especially in the manner in which he imitated Jesus in his humanity.

Do I recognize the need to imitate the humanity of Jesus in order that I can live my life as a human person? Do I open myself to Jesus and allow him to dwell in me and act in me? Do I live my life as a human person similar to the manner in which Jesus lived his life as a human person? What do I need to do to correspond in a perfect manner to the humanity of Jesus?

        It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2: 20)