Christ in the making

THAT’S what we all are in this life. We are still a work

in progress. We as a creature of God are still under construction. And

the completion of that divine project is when we become another

Christ, “alter Christus.” Yes, we are still Christ in the making.

            That’s because Christ being the Son of God is the perfect

image God has of himself. Since we have been created in God’s image

and likeness, we are supposed to be children of God in the Son. He is

therefore the pattern of our humanity.

            And as God made man, Christ is the savior of our humanity

that is damaged by sin. For this, Christ has given us all the remedies

for the deficiencies and irregularities we may have in this life due

to our sin-damaged condition.

            In other words, the mould of our humanity is Christ. This

mould is already in us, and we need to flesh it out. It would not be

presumptuous on our part then to presume that we already have the

mould of Christ in us. We just have to fill out that mould, making

ourselves more and more like Christ.

            But first, let’s be conscious that we have that mould.

This may cause us some awkwardness at first, but it’s an awkwardness

that we just have to overcome. It’s part of our human weakness, let

alone, the consequence of our sinfulness, that we feel that way. But

Christ reassures us that we are meant to be one with him.

            For this, Christ has reassured us by always showing how in

the gospel he reached out to the sinners and those in all kinds of

human weakness and misery. “Be not afraid,” he would often say. “Come

to me,” he would invite us. He wants all of us, and not just some of

us, to be with him, no matter how we are.

            The fact that we are still light years away from being

like him should not deter us from going to him. Rather, it should be

the very reason to go to him. To be sure, Christ is not scandalized

and disturbed by whatever unworthiness we feel with respect to Christ.

We need to get over it as soon as we can. We just have to be humble to

accept this reality about Christ and us.

            No matter how awkward and clumsy we may be in this

respect, let’s be determined to acquire or assume Christ’s mind,

heart, spirit, will, ways, etc. We just have to aim at becoming

another Christ.

            To be sure, it will be Christ who will accomplish

everything for us. On our own, we simply cannot, and we should not be

bothered by that fact. What we need to do is simply to be as docile

and as malleable as we can be for Christ to make us like him.

            This means that we, of course, have to know him as best we

could, using all the means that Christ himself has made available—his

life, word and example as found in the gospels, etc.

            And let’s hope that from that knowledge we can develop

love and affection for him. He has left us with the Church, the

sacraments, etc., that would perpetuate his redemptive presence and

action in us. We have to find a way of being aware of this reality and

to correspond to it properly.

            It would serve us well in this regard if at every moment

of our life, at every step of the way, whenever we have to think,

speak and act, we first ask Christ, “Lord, what is it that you want

from me now? What would you like me to think, speak, act or react at

this particular instance, etc.?”

            And whatever happens in our life, whether good or bad, let

us be quick to refer ourselves to Christ. There has to be a conscious

effort to do everything with and for Christ!