Following Jesus

              In discussing the teaching of Christianity, especially on the imitation of Christ, he states that the life of Jesus itself, and not the volumes of catechism, is the key teaching of the church. Following Jesus Christ’s entire life must supply the norm for the Christian and for the life of the whole Church. One has to take every particular aspect of Christ’s life straight from his baptism to his resurrection and show correspondence. Christianity means to be like Christ. It does not say that you should try to resemble Christ. No, you are to put on Christ, put him on yourself.  Christ comes to the world as the example, constantly enjoining: Imitate me. We humans prefer to adore him instead.  Just as the name of Christ is the one and only name in heaven and on earth, so also is Christ the one and only predecessor who has gone ahead to prepare a place. Between heaven and earth there is only one road: to follow Christ. In time and eternity there is only one choice: to choose this road. There is only one eternal hope on this earth: to follow Christ into heaven. To follow Christ means to deny oneself, and so it means to go by the same way as Christ went, in the humble form of a servant, in want and scorn and mockery, not loving the world, and not beloved by it.