"It is no easy matter to live a life that is modelled on Christ’s, but it is unspeakably harder to live one’s own life as truly as Christ lived his." ~Carl Jung, CW 11, Par 522
Each of our unique lives has a very different arrangement of facts and challenges and disturbances than those of Jesus'. Maybe even ones he would not have had the resources to handle.(For example he did not have the challenges of parenting or a spouse or a livelihood job except carpentry. Neither did he experience being a human woman.)
So there is no way we can successfully copy him, let alone conform literally to the doctrines and ideals that have come from the church's reflections on him for two millennia.
But we can conceivably set out to accept and face our own personal capacities , limitations and circumstances with a similar honesty, courage, trust in life and compassion for self and others that he is depicted doing.
And we would anticipate there is no escape from significant psychological adult suffering for neither was there for him. He carried his unique mortal cross so we might as well, and we will experience our own purifying fire as he did his. We would rightfully also expect an inner strengthening of unspeakable joy which is always just enough to sustain during troublsome times without and within.
This is more I think what it has meant to be 'Christian'. This emphasis would seem to give a correct focus for the Christian approach to life.
Each of our unique lives has a very different arrangement of facts and challenges and disturbances than those of Jesus'. Maybe even ones he would not have had the resources to handle.(For example he did not have the challenges of parenting or a spouse or a livelihood job except carpentry. Neither did he experience being a human woman.)
So there is no way we can successfully copy him, let alone conform literally to the doctrines and ideals that have come from the church's reflections on him for two millennia.
But we can conceivably set out to accept and face our own personal capacities , limitations and circumstances with a similar honesty, courage, trust in life and compassion for self and others that he is depicted doing.
And we would anticipate there is no escape from significant psychological adult suffering for neither was there for him. He carried his unique mortal cross so we might as well, and we will experience our own purifying fire as he did his. We would rightfully also expect an inner strengthening of unspeakable joy which is always just enough to sustain during troublsome times without and within.
This is more I think what it has meant to be 'Christian'. This emphasis would seem to give a correct focus for the Christian approach to life.
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