The cliches of being a Catholic and what we can do to change them

3rd Sunday of Easter, cycle C
Gospel: John 21:1-19

Have you ever limited your definition of being a Catholic?  Do you have cliche concepts of Catholicism such that it does add anything to your life?  Let us dismantle any of these cliches because our faith is far greater than anything we can imagine:

"The nominal Catholics" - or Catholics simply by name.  I am a Catholic because my parents are Catholics.  Today Jesus is calling us to a world of intimacy.  He knows each of us by name.  He knows us through and through.  Do we know Jesus most clearly?

"Sunday Catholics" - these Catholics activate their faith one hour every week.  In order to know the Beloved you need to spend more time being with him, to "waste" more time knowing what is in his heart.  How can we love someone whom we do not know?  Love the Lord most dearly.

"The split - level Catholics" - these Catholics are not living out their faith in an integral way, but only by compartments, more often in conflict with one another.  But with Jesus, everything is connected.  Just when Peter said, "I love you Lord", Jesus would say to him, "Feed my sheep."  How many of us would see the hand of the Lord in all areas of our lives?  How many of us have responded to following him unreservedly?  How many of us have seen him in our families, in our life's journey, and in our commitment to serve the least, the last, and the lost?  How many of us are actually convinced that our lives are fleeting, and it is only God would remains?  Follow Jesus most nearly.

Let our love for the Lord be sincere.  And sincerity means to risk everything for God.  Only then will we understand what being Catholic truly means.

Comments

  1. "To risk everything for God"--ain't that a tall order? [Here's another (taller) one: "be thou perfect as thy Heavenly Father is perfect."]

    Try looking for sincerity in this world today and you'll most likely spend sleepless days trying to find it. Try asking it of other people and you'll get kicked in the mouth.

    But what the heck! Why ask it of other people? Why not ask it of yourself? Why not begin being sincere yourself? Regardless of the consequences. Regardless of how others will react to your sincerity. Regardless what others might think of you. Just go and do and be sincere. And you'll be surprised to find how thirsty are the people around you for sincerity. You'll be gladly amazed to realize that so many have been looking around for it for so long. You'll be simply astounded at how too many have been asking for sincerity yet, not knowing where to find it and fearing that it might not work to their advantage, have just kept their sincerity to themselves! If sincerity is "to risk everything for Christ" then, I guess, we must also ask of the Lord the courage to
    go with it. Being sincere certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

God bless you for your comments. Know that you are prayed for.