We often hear people make remarks like "I live my life to full" or "No one tells me what to do" and so forth. Those who make such remarks are either worldly people or people whose attitudes are dominated by world.

Following The World Things are, or should be, very different for Christian. Why? Simply because someone who is imitating Jesus cannot at same time be imitating world. Revelation 12.9 tells us two interesting facts. The first is that, when ancient serpent, or Satan was defeated he was not consigned to hell but was hurled to earth, and his angels with him.

Secondly, we are told that Satan leads whole world astray. Consequently, those who follow world follow Satan. Perhaps not knowingly, nor willingly. But then, Satan cares little about how much people know or whether they would do what they do willingly if they knew differently!

What is alternative? How do we guard ourselves against being misled? How do we avoid being duped by Satan?

Following Jesus = Following The Spirit Every Christian has been given Jesus as his/her model. His is example we follow - in everything!

This is not easy but it is something we have to keep pursuing. Now, in John's gospel Jesus makes a particular principle of his very clear. On several separate occasions he tells us that he never does anything except that it is in Father's will for him (e.g. John 5. 19; 5. 30, 77. 16;8. 29). It is therefore our task to live as nearly as possible in Father's will. It is no more than Jesus has instructed us. How do we do it?

Living Through The Spirit We are given Holy Spirit to be our mentor. A mentor is someone who guides us. He is wise and trusted advisor. Someone we can rely on totally to give us very best direction in whatever circumstance we might find ourselves in, whatever problems and decisions we are faced with.

Is our primary objective in life to become like Jesus? Of course. How do we do it? Well, ask another one that will take less than fifty books to answer!

But there is an important way which can take us well down road. Moreover, it is a particular and integrated part of Catholic tradition: meditation.

Not any kind of meditation - and certainly none of kinds imported from eastern religions such as Hinduism. It is a Catholic traditional way hallowed by time and efforts of saints co-operating with God's graces. These include such people as Ignatius of Loyola, John of Cross, Therese of Avila and many others.

Meditating On What? One of greatest expressions of God's love for us is that he has provided for us a book which reveals much about himself, way to salvation and what he desires of each of us. Most of all, perhaps, there lies within it knowledge of how great is his personal love for each of us.

That book is, of course, Bible. Both Old and, especially New Testament are there entirely for our benefit. Indeed, in recent times Catholic Church has drawn attention on several major ocassion to importance of Scripture and of need for us to avail ourselves of it.

Thus, for example, Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation (promulgated by Pope Paul VI, 1965) stresses that ... Father who is in heaven meets his children with great love and speaks to them; and force and power in word of God is so great that it stands as support and energy of Church, strength of faith for her sons, food of soul, pure and everlasting source of spiritual life.

This latter point is of particular relevance here: Moreover, after Second Vatican Council Catholics have had made available to them several translations from original languages of Bible. For example, we have Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible. For those who do develop a love of, and interest in Scripture, these are all available with explanatory footnotes and introductions to various books of Bible which put them in historical, cultural and spiritual context.