Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Jose Sepe SVD – Catholic Trade Manila
Saturday 14th Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus teaches: “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master” (Matthew 10:25).
A story is told of a young boy who knocked at the studio door of a painter who had died. When the door was opened, he asked: “Please, madam, will you give me the master’s brush?” The boy, longing to be an artist, believed that with the brush he could paint like the master. But when he tried, he realized he could paint no better than before. The woman then said: “Remember, you cannot paint like the great master unless you have his spirit.”
This story mirrors the Christian life. The greatness of our imitation of Christ depends not on external tools or appearances, but on the measure of our surrender to His Spirit living within us. As St. Paul declares: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Christian life is a process of surrender—allowing Christ’s breath to breathe through us, His thoughts to shape ours, His words to guide our speech, His love to inspire our actions. To imitate Christ is not to copy Him mechanically, but to let His Spirit transform us from within.
Indeed, “it is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher” (Matthew 10:25). The true measure of discipleship is not perfection, but union with the Master’s Spirit.
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