Imitation of Jesus in the Here and Now
Remember that, now that you are living in the present, you are, with the grace of God, able to do more than all the saints together have done. (OOCC, X, p. 49; STA, 221)
St. Vincent Pallotti recognized the value of the present in the life he lived in imitation of Jesus. Hence, he believed that the imitation of Jesus must be done in the here and now. The way a person lived his life in the past does help him, because looking at what he has done, he is able to evaluate his mode of living and the manner of his behavior. Similarly, the way a person is going to live his life in the future does have a value, because a future perspective helps him to plan for the yet-to-come situation. Both the past and the future are not as real as the present, for the past has come to an end and the future is yet to come. Hence, while acknowledging the value of the past and the future in a person’s life, he must focus on the present which is the real and actual piece of time. The significant dimension of one’s spiritual life does not consist of getting caught in the past or the future, but rather living in the present in which God reaches out to a person through the everyday situations to live his life in imitation of his Son Jesus. It was St. Vincent’s belief that, though unworthy as he was, he could do great things with the grace of God, even more than what all the saints together have done, because he had the gift of the present at his disposal.
Do I recognize the value of the present in my life of imitation of Jesus? Am I caught up in the past or in the future, or focus on the present as I attempt to live my life in imitation of Jesus? Do I make use of God’s gift of the present to the fullest?
So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all. (Gal. 6: 10)