How is your faith? Where do you place it on your list of priorities?
I recently had the opportunity of being part of an event that was going to be, what some would call, “controversial.” A series of talks that would test people’s beliefs, answer questions long needed to be answered, and/or reinforce the beliefs of those whose faith was more grounded.
Some Christians simply rejected it, believing the ideas to be outside of their “modernist” version of Church teachings. Over 2,000 years of accepted orthodoxy is now suddenly on the fringes of the Church’s teachings—being called old-fashioned, too traditional, rigid, and non-inclusive.
Many Christians were excited to hear things that would affirm all that they had been taught and believed. But when it came closer to the event, some of those people who were excited began to back out. Some for reasons not given; others because they were concerned how their attendance at this event would look in the eyes of those who did not approve of it.
What is it that we are afraid of? Does it really matter what we think others might think of us? St. Thomas More puts it this way: “I do not care very much what men think of me, provided that God approves of me.”
God will test us in three ways:
- He gives you what you want immediately and tests your gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
- He does not give what you want and tests your faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
- He delays what you want and tests your patience (Isaiah 40:31)
These tests may seem heavy, but it is proof that God is preparing you for something far greater than you could ever imagine.
After Jesus fed the 5,000, only a remnant followed Him. He had twelve Apostles, yet only three went further with Him in the garden, and only one stood with Him at the foot of His Cross. The closer we get to the Cross, the smaller the crowd gets.
Where were all those people that Jesus fed? Where were all those He healed—the paralytic at the pool, the man whose sight was restored, the man who was lowered through Peter’s roof, the lepers that were cleansed, the ones raised from the dead? Where were His Apostles—save John who stood at the foot of the Cross, and Judas who had betrayed Him—who professed Jesus as the Messiah?
When the going got tough, the tough got… well, they scattered. How often do we compromise our beliefs when real fear sets in?
Therein lies the question to each and every one of us here today: Do you have what it takes to stand up to the authorities, to those who stand against the Truth—the Truth that has been handed down to us for over 2,000 years? How far are you willing to go? Will you have the fortitude to go all the way to the Cross and stand with Jesus? St. Josemaría Escrivá reminds us: “Compromise is a word found only in the vocabulary of those who have no will to fight.”
Will you compromise who you are, a professed Christian, and deny knowing Him the minute you are challenged—or will you stand up and be counted as a warrior for the Truth? Let us learn from the example of the saints: courage in the service of God. He calls upon us to endure suffering of body and of mind, if it be necessary, to prove our fidelity to Him; and He promises to support us by His strength, His light, and by His heavenly consolation.
Remember what Jesus said: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32–33)
There is no mincing of words here. Jesus is very clear in what He is telling us.
We are not all called to the sacrifice of martyrdom; but we are all bound to make our lives a continued sacrifice of ourselves to God, and to perform every action in this perfect spirit of sacrifice. Thus, we shall both live and die to God, perfectly resigned to His holy will in all His appointments (Butler’s Lives of the Saints).
“And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Semper Fidelis! (Always Faithful!)
Live your life worthy of HIS Sacrifice +
God Bless You +
