Catholic Faith Space
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One of the best qualities about my sister Abbey is her ability to tell it like it is. She is usually straightforward and bold. When she was in confirmation class, she told her own classmates that they should be going to mass weekly and that there were no reasons or excuses for them not to be attending, especially seeing as they were preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation. Since then, she has gone to speak to a few of the confirmation classes the last few years and has told them the same thing. She wasn’t scared about how the students would react or worried about offending them. I admire her ability to be bold in sharing the truth about faith and I think this approach needs to be used more often.
Our society has become really soft, especially when it comes to the important stuff. The overall message of our culture is to not say or do certain things because someone might be offended or their feelings might be hurt. And it seems as if this mindset has seeped into some people in the church as well. But the real harm is in the truth being left unsaid. Jesus spoke the truth calmly and with conviction. This offended some. But He didn’t back down or soften His teachings. So why should we? Anytime Jesus spoke, especially on difficult topics, it was with love. We are called to do the same thing. We need to share the truth always, and do it with compassion, love, and humility. If we really love the people around us, we will not cover up or soften the truths of our faith. We don’t need a faith that is soft and nice. We need a faith that is bold and forthright. Are we willing to say the hard things? Watering down our faith doesn’t help bring anyone closer to Jesus. In fact, it probably pushes them in the other direction, or leads them to a false idea of Christianity and a progressive mindset. It leads to people thinking certain aspects of our faith are open to interpretation or that they are a matter of opinion. Everyone is at a different point in their faith journeys. And that is perfectly acceptable. We all have a lot more to learn and a lot of room for growth. But we cannot sit back and pretend that all is well as long as people are “nice” and “good.” As people of faith, we know we are called to more. Jesus didn’t die on the cross because he was a “nice and good person.” He went against the grain and spoke the truth in love. He asks us to do the same. May we all be straightforward and bold in sharing the truth of our faith with the people around us.
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Over the weekend as I was sitting in adoration, one question that kept coming to mind during prayer was, “Jesus, how can I enter into the desert with you this Lent?” With the arrival of the season of Lent, maybe you too are praying about and reflecting on this question. This year more than ever, I want to be more intentional about how I live these 40 days. I want to listen to how Jesus is calling me to be more disciplined and faithful.
Thinking about the desert, the first images that come to mind are of a barren, dry, desolate landscape where there are not many living things. The desert is so different from the environment we live in. And maybe that is one of the reasons why it is so important for us to follow Jesus into this space. To enter into the desert is to enter into a different way of living. It is to strip our lives of the worldly pleasures that are distracting us and to detach ourselves from the comforts that keep us from growing closer to Christ. It is to change our routines and habits in order to experience a real conversion of heart. This penitential season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving asks us to make small sacrifices and practice self-discipline. What things in our lives are preventing us from growing in our relationship with Jesus? What areas of our lives are dead because of sin and need to be brought back to life? What parts of our faith are dry and need to be watered and replenished? It is the dryness and emptiness of this spiritual desert where we rediscover our thirst for God and recognize that He alone can satisfy us in the hunger we have. So how do we actually enter into the desert in a way that will bear fruit in our spiritual lives and help us to properly prepare to celebrate the resurrection at Easter? How do we pray and reflect in a way that will allow us to experience conversion and be transformed? It will likely look a little different for each of us. No matter what your Lenten plans are or how you hope to grow spiritually, remember that everything Jesus experienced throughout the 40 days in the desert was out of a deep love for you. How will you respond to that love this season? Will you enter into the desert to walk with Jesus? May you have a blessed and fruitful Lent that helps you to become more like Him. A few days ago, February 10th, was the feast day of St. José Sánchez del Río. Reading his story, I’m always struck by what this saint experienced for his love of Jesus. There were many efforts by others to make him renounce his faith and in each opportunity to do so, he stood strong. He endured immense torture and suffered greatly, as he refused to deny his faith in Christ. The one part that stands out the most is the fact that he was just 14 years old when he was martyred. The depth of faith he had at such a young age is something that should inspire us all in our own faith. As this saint, and many others demonstrate, age should never be an obstacle to having great faith.
A lot of times, I hear members of the church and parents say things like, “they will come back to the church later” or “they will start practicing their faith once they are older and have a family.” While these kinds of thoughts and sentiments are likely well-meaning and come from a place of hope, they do not encourage the importance of faith in young people. These thoughts and statements make the claim that having faith doesn’t really matter until one is older and at a different point in life. This could not be further from the truth. People sometimes say things like faith can be prioritized once sports are over, once extracurricular activities are done, once school is finished, once there is more time,once someone figures out who they are, or once they are established as an adult in the real world. But having faith and taking opportunities to grow in it in the midst of all these events is vital. Faith must be the foundation for whatever point someone is going through, and not an afterthought for a later time. The idea that the church doesn’t need young people and that young people don’t need faith and the church is a lie. No matter what age we are, each and every one of us are called to follow Jesus and live a life of faith and discipleship. That will look different throughout various stages and parts of life, but we all have the ability to be part of a faith community to support and pray for each other, inspire each other and learn from each other, and grow closer to Jesus. We are all called to be saints, regardless of how young or old we are. Someone’s age should not be an obstacle to being a powerful witness of faith. St. José Sánchez del Río, along with countless other young saints, have inspiring stories that are an example of great courage, deep faith, and a strong love for Christ. May their lives inspire in us a deeper faith and greater love for Jesus. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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