Philippians 3:17
Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us.
It would be nice if we were all so cerebral that we could just read the Bible and instantly know how to put it into practice. But the reality is, we are primates whom God has graced to share in His life. “Rational animals” is the term St. Thomas used. And so, like animals, we learn not just from abstraction but by “monkey see, monkey do.” Tell us about “unconditional love” and discuss the disembodied philosophical ramifications and we might get it, if we’re of a philosophical bent and cleverer than usual. Show us that love in a Mother Teresa cleaning the dung from a dying man’s body or in Christ Crucified, nailed to a cross for our sins and we can see it – and imitate it. That is why St. Paul speaks of his glorious inheritance “in the saints.” They are some of God’s brightest windows into the mystery of the Incarnation. Imitate them as they imitate Christ.
