Good morning everyone. I hope this post finds you all warm, safe and well on this cold November morning. As we hunker down for what looks to be a long cold winter, I thought I’d share with you today some “food for thought” on living our faith effectively in today’s world. Big topic I know. This can no doubt be difficult for us at times.
We know all too well that our culture doesn’t like us to discuss matters of faith in public places. Our culture often sees faith as a private matter, to be kept in our churches and homes and not to be pushed upon others in any way.
Let’s consider these 2 thoughts. There are times when our faith needs to be expressed. There are also times when our faith just needs to be shown. A special wise priest once said this:
“The church teaches that our common Catholic identity is rooted in the call to evangelization. Being missionary is not one of the many things we do, it is fundamentally who we are. It defines us as a people and is a natural expression of our faith”.
It’s easy to become complacent when our faith is seen as a private matter or when we avoid situations that require us to share our faith with another. But evangelization requires that. It requires us to use wisdom and sensitivity as we rely upon God’s grace to be tactful enough to know that we cannot influence or help another without trusting that God will work through our words and actions to touch the lives of others.
Often times in our spiritual enthusiasm we try to “win” people over by telling them all about what we know or explain how they should act. That approach can often backfire, especially if they are not asking. We may have good intentions and really want to help others. Better to be sometimes silent, armed and ready and wait for an opportunity that the Holy Spirit arranges to share our faith verbally.
In reality though, it’s our life of integrity and humility that speaks to the heart of Jesus. The most effective messenger is the one who lives the message. The first thing people should notice about us is our love, patience, kindness, gentleness, strength and joy. It’s one thing to profess and enforce a belief. It’s another to let it transform our lives.
People are going to know that we’re believers when we’re helping others, meeting people’s needs and blessing people with our words and actions. We were created to make a difference in the lives of others through our love of them. True love is seen not so much in our words but in our actions – giving our time, our money, an encouraging word. When we show love, we are showing God to the world. All of this helps us to continue to become a better version of ourselves.
A final “food for thought” on all of this:
“Becoming the best version of ourselves will require courage and risk. A ship is safe as long as it sits in the harbour, but that’s not what ships were made for. Our lives will be comfortable as long as we remain where we are. Change and growth take courage”. (MK)
Let’s continue to grow our faith: pray, read, worship, sacraments, learn and through continued surrendered prayer, allow the Holy Spirit to guide our words and actions in our daily lives to be witnesses to others.
Have a blessed Sunday friends. We’ll catch up during Advent. Love MJ xo
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