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IMITATION

The conscious act or process of seeking to reproduce the desirable features or qualities of another, especially of another person. The term applies first to the field of representative art, which strives to reproduce as faithfully as possible the natural forms it is depicting. But its wider use is in Christian spirituality, where Christ is seen as the perfect exemplar for his followers to imitate. His human nature thus becomes the model for Christians to reproduce, and in the process they are becoming more Godlike since Christ is also divine.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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