Mark 9: 38-40 He drives out demons in your name

Do you recall Charles Colton's famous quote, "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery"?  In today's Gospel the Apostles are appalled that someone who was not in their eyes 'authorized' is driving out demons in Jesus' name. 

It calls to mind an image of one who is trying to become Christ-like, and therefore has radically changed their life to be as much as they can like Him.  It is what we are all called to strive to do.  It is difficult, but Jesus reminds us, that these people who do this, who try to imitate him, they cannot be against him:  if they were against him, they would not be trying to imitate him.  How do we start to try to imitate Christ, and why should we?

St. Paul says, "Put off the old man who is corrupted according to the desire of error, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth." (Eph 4:22-24)  As Dietrich von Hildebrand explains we must desire to be this new man or woman in Christ.  It has been interesting speaking with young adults recently who attest how easy it is to become complacent in their faith and with the things of life, that they are suddenly realizing that they need to keep challenging themselves to grow spiritually and to become better people--this challenging the way they think, pushing themselves to help others by taking their own selves out of their comfort zones, by working to be more forgiving and compassionate, these are the ways to put on their new selves, to live in imitation of Christ, to be Christ-like. 

John 6:44-51 Come to Me

In today's first reading, God the Father called this eunuch to himself, and God the Holy Spirit sought to impart the teachings of the Son so that that this man, through Philip, might come to be saved through him. 

Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him up on the last day…They shall all be taught by God.  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me…Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”  Jesus further reminds us, “I am the bread of life…and the bread that I give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” 

St. Tomas a Kempis reminds us, “These are your words, O Christ, the everlasting Truth.  Because they are yours and true, they are all thankfully and faithfully received by me.  They are yours and you have pronounced them; and they are mine also because you have spoken them for my salvation.”  (Imitation of Christ: Book 3, Ch 1 On Receiving Holy Communion)  Our Lord is the bread of heaven, come to nourish us, heal us, and lead us out of the slavery of sin, to the freedom of salvation in him, Christ the Lord.  St. Paul reminds us, “Christ died for all: that those who live may live no longer in themselves, but for him, who died for all and is risen, alleluia.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)