The Imitation of Christ & Saint Stephen

Staff Writer

Reflecting on the life of Jesus and participating in it, Thomas a Kempis’ Imitation of Christ seems to be a perfect manual of practice. It instructs on what you should be and do to imitate Christ. Thomas spells them out in his book and Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr lived it out.

The content of this reflection is:

  1. The Concept of the Imitation of Christ
  2. Musing One
  3. Musing Two
  4. Musing Three

Acts 7:55-60

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them;” and when he said this, he fell asleep. 

The Concept of the Imitation of Christ

The concept of the ‘imitation of Christ’ has been a motif of Christian spirituality, theology, and social teaching on one hand, and a way or rule of life for Christian living, on the other. Most Christian writers, saints and church fathers devoted their time and energy sourcing out the meaning and impact of life with Christ. Saint Augustine of Hippo, for example considered the imitation of Christ as the main reason of Christian life and a way to put to rights the imitation of the sins of Adam. Francis of Assisi viewed imitating Christ from the perspective of following his path of poverty. For example, Jesus was poor at birth, died naked on the cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb. 

A compendium of what imitating Christ means is summarised in the book, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, a 15th century devotional book. The main emphasis of this book is ‘on the interior life,’ ‘withdrawal from the world’ and ‘on the Blessed Sacrament.’

In Acts 7: 55-60, Stephen followed the path of his Master, Jesus. He said what Jesus said while in agony on the cross and did the same thing he did. From Saint Luke’s account:

§  Jesus said: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

§  Stephen cried out in a loud voice: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them;” (Acts 7:60).

§  Jesus cried out in a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

§  Stephen called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).

Stephen followed his Master to the end. He forgave his persecutors and that was his final bearing out of the content of his soul. He was purged of any bitterness in his heart that may be seeking for revenge. This lyric of Don Moen in his “God with Us” album tells more of the imitation of Christ from the point of view of what Jesus did for us: 

He walked where I walked | He stood where I stand | He felt what I feel | He understands | He knows my frailty | Shared my humanity | Tempted in every way | Yet without sin | One of a hated race | Stung by the prejudice | Suffering injustice | Yet He forgives! | Wept for my wasted years | He paid for my wickedness | He died in my place | That I might live (Don Moen, God with Us).

Imitating Christ means that you considered ‘Jesus’ and ‘his way’ the perfect ‘method of life,’ that is, following a particular practice of accomplishing a fulfilled life. To imitate Christ is to view him as your gateway of glory and pathway to peace. Follow the musings and consider your ‘method of life’ in Christ.

Musing One

It is good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope for any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our hearts. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men. (Thomas a Kempis - The Imitation of Christ)

Musing Two

God hath thus ordered it, that we may learn to bear one another’s burdens; for no man is without fault, no man without his burden, no man sufficient of himself, no man wise enough of himself; but we ought to bear with one another, comfort one another, help, instruct, and admonish one another (Thomas a Kempis - The Imitation of Christ). 

Musing Three

If you live, you will be subject to change, whether you will it or not - now glad, now sorrowful; now pleased, now displeased; now devout, now undevout; now vigorous, now slothful; now gloomy, now merry. But a wise man who is well taught in spiritual labour stands unshaken in all such things, and heeds little what he feels, or from what side the wind of instability blows (Thomas a Kempis - The Imitation of Christ).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Connection between a Personal Name and Name Groups in Shawnee Social Organisation

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Shawnee People The Divisions The Name Groups and Personal Names I’m always attracted to and interested in the culturally distinct and characteristic elements of different traditions or societies. Reading about the Shawnee people of Native American tribes is no different. I immediately fell in love with the linkage between Shawnee name groups and personal names. The name groups seem to present the Shawnee as a one-descent group with five major divisions. To examine this connection between a personal name and name group, a brief description of Shawnee will help in understanding the Shawnee social organisation. Shawnee People The term ‘Shawnee’ written in different forms ( Shaawanwaki, Shaawanowi lenaweeki, and Shawano ) is Algonquian like the archaic term ‘ shaawanwa ’ meaning ‘south.’ Thus, the term ‘Shawnee’ is (pronounced shaw-nee ) meaning the ‘southern people.’ The Shawnees are categorised as Algonquian-speaking North American Indian people whose pristine ho
Continue reading »

Early Contacts between Christianity and Islam

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Early Contacts between Christianity and Islam Monk Bahira The Migration to Axum Kingdom Christianity and Islam have always been two noxious bedfellows and yet always proclaim and wish peace on earth. It would not be a crass assumption to state that the two religions have over the centuries crossed paths and re-crossed paths many times. Crossing paths might have been in their ideologies, conflicts, doctrinal interpretations and even sharing some physical spaces. Therefore, in this brief writing, we will explore the early contacts between Christianity and Islam and see how they have influenced each other. Early Contacts between Christianity and Islam The early contacts between Christianity and Islam were not short of frames.  According to Kaufman et al., “frames are cognitive shortcuts that people use to help make sense of complex information.” They are means of interpreting our world and perhaps, the world of other people around us.  Such interpretations helped them to
Continue reading »

The Akamba – Concept of the Supreme Being & Totems

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Supreme Being (Worships and Venerations) Mulungu   Mumbi  Mwatuangi  Ngai  Asa  Ancestors Totems Here is a brief account of the religious beliefs of the Akamba. Spanning through Central Bantu, the Akamba ethnic group is estimated to be about 4.4 million people and occupies Southeastern Kenya in areas, such as Kangundo, Kibwezi, Kitui, Machakos, Makueni and Mwingi Districts and the Ukamba. A swathe of the Akamba population can also be found in the Mazeras and Kwale Districts of the Coast Province in Shiba Hills. The Akamba languages are Kikamba and Swahili. Globally, the Akamba are not exclusively a Kenyan or African tribe. They can be found in Uganda, Tanzania, and Paraguay, which makes it partly an indigenous group and partly an autochthonal group. Argument from migration theory suggests that Akamba came from Kilimanjaro (a word that means ‘mountain of whiteness’), basing their arguments on the similarity of certain cultural features with the Wachagga people of Kili
Continue reading »

Begrudging & Infightings: Aztec’s Theogony & Cosmogony

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Chalchiuhtlicue Nanauatzin Cosmic Order – The Balance Aztec is a name used to describe the Nahuatl-speaking people who thrived in central Mexico circa the 14 th  and 16 th  centuries as an empire and dominated large parts of Mesoamerica. Variously, the Aztecs had different names. They are known as Aztlan (which means ‘White Land’), the Tenochca (a name adopted from one of their ancestors called Tenoch), and the Mexica, which was a derivative from Metzliapan (which stands for ‘Moon Lake’). Ancient Aztec religious beliefs and practices were tied to their understanding of the world; the people were deeply amazed by the thought of the unknown, the universe and the end of time. These thoughts arouse some curiosity and awareness to understand better their world and how it came about. I used the term ‘theogony’ to describe the Aztecs’ generations of gods however, not in the context of Greek mythology where the ‘primordial deities’ were the fi
Continue reading »

President Biden’s Age is now the problem! Where’s the ADA?

Staff Writer
After the first US presidential debate, and the slow start of the incumbent, President Joe Biden, the democrats lost their minds. The democrats started to play with the acronym “SCAMPER.” They wanted a ‘substitute.’ They felt like ‘combining’ forces. They sort to make some ‘adaptations’ in their campaign strategy. They ‘modify’ the President’s schedules and so on. They wanted to ‘put into another use’ some tactics and styles. They outrightly wanted to ‘eliminate’ the President’s candidacy in the bid to ‘rearrange’ the campaign strategy to win the election come November 2024. Are you sure about that? Why all these jostles, sniffing and gossips? His crime is that he is 81 years old. They fear that he will lose them the presidency to an opponent whom the law has christened felon, the supreme court anointed a king through their presidential immunity verdict, and most Americans consider a venal potentate should he be re-elected as the president. I believe the people who criticize Mr. Bi
Continue reading »

The creator god, Tirawa - the Pawnee of the Native American Tribe

Staff Writer
Table of Contents The Pawnee The Holy Corn Tirawa and the Stars Culture of the Stars The religious beliefs of the Pawnee Native American tribe stand out as practices that are primarily Astro-theological and astronomical. As such they use or interpret the laws or culture of the stars to determine when it was safe to plant corn. Accurate calculation of these laws or cultures means a better harvest for the people. They were possible because Tirawa was their causer, teacher, and sustainer.   Corn is an essential crop that is not only a means of subsistence living for the Pawnee, but it is also a symbolic mother through her, and with her, the sun goddess, Shakuru blesses the people. The Pawnee The Pawnee are a North American Indian tribe who originally lived in Nebraska and northern Kansas before finally settling in today’s Oklahoma. Linguistically, they belong to the Caddoan family and call themselves the Chatiks si chatiks , meaning “Men of Men.” As with many Native American India
Continue reading »

Nigeria’s Pledge Vs the President’s Mandate: An Antithesis of Patriotism

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Nigeria’s Pledge The President’s Mandate Loyalty to the President or the Constitution? In recent years, the Nigerian polity has been bedeviled by one general term, ‘mandate.’ As years passed, the term mandate gained more ground and replaced the allegiance or any public or private declaration of loyalty to Nigeria, as a country. The contract the people signed with the country was gradually torn into bits by the politicians (or leaders) and by extension, the citizens, (and foreigners living in Nigeria). The current political and economic climate of Nigeria is the main reason for this article. The people have openly rejected Nigeria’s Pledge and have taken recourse to different political mandates of some politicians. The aim here is to bring to the fore the salient points of Nigeria’s Pledge against the mandate of the president. Nigeria’s Pledge The clear and concise words of Professor Felicia Adebola Adedoyin in 1976 describing the terms of the Nigerian oath of
Continue reading »

The Gi-ant of Africa and the goddess, Nemesis

Staff Writer
Image
Overview Nigeria is popularly known as the giant of Africa perhaps because of its population estimated at over 250 million people. It is a country with the largest concentration of black people in the entire world. In her halcyon days, the oil boom of the 1970s, with an unparallel rapid revenue expansion, peace and happiness, Nigeria began to enjoy the reputation as epitomized in the statement by the erstwhile Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon: “Money is not Nigeria’s problem. But how to spend it.” Such a statement was reflected in their leaders’ behaviours and thinking. From the 1970s to 2024, Nigeria’s leaders have not shifted from such mindsets. Both her military and civilian leaders continue to entertain careless, unaccountable, and foolish behaviours that brought a jinx upon the nation. The oil boom became a curse to the people by the Nigerian goddess called Gi-ant .   Gi-ant stands for “government issues – accountability, nepotism, thievery.” These are the three manifes
Continue reading »

The Weyekin in Nez Percé Tribe and Catholic Angels

Staff Writer
Table of Contents The Nez Percé People Catholic Teachings on Angels The Spirit, Weyekin in Nez Percé Tribe This writing is to briefly identify and recognize some cultural values of the Nez Percé tribe, especially their belief in Weyekin, often described as a personal guiding angel. The concept of a guiding angel provokes Catholic teachings about angels and comparison with the Nez Percé Weyekin, as the guiding spirit. But that will be a new piece of writing for the future. There can be a cross-cultural gleaning of ideas from nature, beliefs, and interactions.     The Nez Percé People The term Nez Percé, meaning “pierced nose” is the French coinage to describe the Nimiipuu tribe. The term Nimiipuu, meaning “we, the people” is a name the tribe used for themselves and their language, a part of the Sahaptin family. Early contacts with the Europeans, especially French explorers made the name Nez Percé popular because they unfairly adopted the name Nez Percé and used it for the Nimiipuu and n
Continue reading »

The Conflict between the Deities (Igwe and Amadioha) in Igbo Mythology over a Heat Wave

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Introduction The Deity – Igwe The Deity – Amadioha The Conflict between Igwe and Amadioha Introduction The current heat wave reminds me of the conflict between two Igbo deities, namely: Igwe and Amadioha. Just as it was noted somewhere in this blog: Nigeria's Diversity and the South-East/South-South Peripheral Inclusions: Biafra's Raison d'etre , November 15, 2021, the Igbo people are the third-largest ethnic group who live in southeastern Nigeria. They have a very rich culture and tradition among which is their concept of God which varies from one community to another but essentially, they believe that the gods guide and control their life and affairs in many ways. The Igbo concept of God stems from the idea of a chief god who creates everything. This god is supreme. The Igbo variously call this god Olisa bu uwa (the god who carries the world), Olisa bini Igwe , (the god who lives in the sky), Chukwu (the great god), or Chineke (the god who creates
Continue reading »