Jun 24, 2013
Recently, I had coffee with a fellow Catholic who gloomily shared his ongoing struggles with living out his faith openly in the world and his reluctance to discuss his faith with others. He made it clear that going to Mass on Sunday was all he could or should be doing. After a few minutes of discussion, it became obvious that there was a connection between how my coffee companion presented his faith to the world and how others view the Catholic Church.
Why do some Catholics lose their enthusiasm for the faith? Why do some leave the Church? Why do those curious about the Church have reservations about converting? The unfortunate truth is that many (not all) of us make being Catholic look about as exciting as having a root canal. Non-Catholics may be looking for inspiration from people who are truly joyful about Christ and the Church he founded. They want to see in us genuine passion for the Eucharist and the other sacraments. They would love to see us have prayer lives worth emulating. Does the thought ever occur to us that our actions as well as our words are being observed by others and this places an important burden on our shoulders?
So, let’s ask ourselves: Are we “mirrors of joy” reflecting the light of Christ to others or have we lost our Catholic identity and become completely assimilated into the secular culture?
We have so much to be truly thankful for in our relationship with Christ and the truth and beauty of our Catholic faith. But being truly joyful should lead to sharing that joy and the ability to express the truths of our faith in a way that shows the depth of our sincere belief and love to others. Consider this quote from writer Cormac Burke: