A Life-Changing Encounter

Within the last month, I’ve seen two different people make lengthy Facebook posts stating that they are leaving the Catholic Church.  In one of the posts, the person described his faith and religious beliefs as something he’d been conditioned to believe.  To me, that was the saddest part of the post.  How many more people are out there in the world, living with the view that faith and any sort of religious beliefs are ideas that are forced.  As Christians/Catholics, it is our job to live out our faith authentically in our daily lives and invite others to take opportunities to encounter Christ.  It is these experiences that are truly life-changing.

Ten years ago, I had one of these life-changing experiences.  In July of 2012, I went on my first Colorado Leadership Retreat.  It was on this retreat that I encountered Jesus in a real and powerful way, I became part of a strong Catholic community, and my faith was set on fire.  I am not sure if other people noticed a difference but I remember feeling like I was coming back home different than when I had left.  Nothing about it was forced or conditioned.  

Encountering Jesus, whether in big mountaintop experiences, or in smaller everyday moments, gives us the grace to share Him with others through our actions and by the overall way we live.  When we live out our faith, it is something that should naturally flow.  It should not have to be forced and we should not have to hide who we are.  One of the most basic facets of living out our faith means acknowledging that we are loved deeply and unconditionally by God and allowing that love to overflow into every aspect of our lives.  This is what can touch other people in a deep and profound way.

Ultimately, it is love alone that will draw people to God and to a community of faith.  Through our personal witnessing, invitations, and encounters, people will come to experience the beauty of faith and a relationship with God.

Now more than ever, it seems like so many people are searching and longing for something.  They may not realize it, but it is God who they long for.  Everything else is temporary and will leave them empty and lost after a while.  People leaving the church because they are dissatisfied, hurt, or confused, are searching in all the wrong places and running from the only One who can truly comfort, heal, and restore.  We cannot make anyone do anything, but we can simply love and allow God to work in and through us.  And there is a lot of power in that.
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Today, take some time to reflect on how you live out your faith.  Think about who might be watching and listening.  Ask God to use you.  Whether within the next two hours, the next day, or years from now, someone may just encounter Christ for the first time or in a life-changing way because of your personal witness and the way you live.