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"Today, however, I have no such excuse, for the example of Christ is readily available to me, so, I can simply cut out all of the middlemen and follow Christ, so purely as His example is penned in the holy scriptures."

The example of Christ has always been available to every Christian. You are no exception. And far from "cutting out the middlemen," as you say, the Bible urges us to do the opposite:

The Catholic approach to this issue is to always be "Looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), and at the same time we "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith" (Hebrews 13:7).