A Rooted Faith

Following God in 2022 is tough for anyone, but especially the young and all of us who are still under the influence and formation of our peers. It becomes increasingly difficult to: say you are Catholic, to practice your faith and to live a life that often goes against popular opinion and societal standards for an 'acceptable' and 'inclusive' person.  Not to mention the baggage and labels that can often come towards someone who is Catholic and who practices or the fact that in many places it can become dangerous to practice your faith.  

If you haven't seen the first post in the series, you can do so here, it is worth a read before you pick up on this one. 

The one thing that becomes abundantly clear, however, when  you do choose faith, and when you do choose God over society, ideas and movements, is that God is the God of abundance. Yes, believing in God will set you apart, for you are believing in something that holds God as the ultimate being (not humans!), you are believing in a faith that holds human beings higher than objects or as a mere animal, and you are believing in a faith that depends on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that redeemed us all, who makes himself truly present in the form of bread and wine. But, despite the hit to your likeability  among friends, ego, or reputation, Jesus still supplies us with all that we need for a truly happy, fulfilling life.  [One also has to ponder that if someone stops being your friend simply because you believe in God, does that mean they really are your friend?] 

We know however that the path forward, the path with God isn't just going to be magically easier than everyone else who doesn't believe in God. No, we hear Jesus say that "[God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." So what Jesus says, is that the reason you follow him and believe shouldn't be because you expect life to be easy, or all sunshine. No. The sun and the rain appear on the good and the bad. Your faith shouldn't be dependent on easy times or not going through tough situations. Rather, your faith should be because of your faith in Jesus, as such. 

What does that mean? It means that as you live your day, and as you live your life, it means that your faith isn't rooted in the expectation of an easier ride or a fast-tracking yourself to heaven. No. What a life with Christ means is that you do these things our of a genuine desire to do them. You praise God, because you believe that he ought to be praised. You help your neighbour, because you believe it is right and just to help your neighbour, and you are following what God has asked of you. You care for sick family because you love your family. 

Your faith shouldn't just be a mere feel good or ulterior and selfish reason. No. Faith in God is strong and true, and just despite what happens, because the rain and the sun fall on both the good and the bad. Recall here for a second the story of the seeds falling on different grounds:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. "  Matthew 13: 3 - 8

 What this parable reminds us is that when that ran falls, or the harsh sun comes upon the seed of faith, is that our faith has to be rooted in Jesus Christ as such, and nothing else because anything else is shallow and won't last the crosses we carry. If our faith doesn't depend or isn't rooted on Jesus, we don't have faith at all.  A faith in Jesus, as mentioned in the last post, is a faith that necessarily faces the cross, that necessarily faces death, and that necessarily has the resurrection. It is a faith that neccesarily demands our participation in the living communion on saints, in the sacraments and one that demands a real dedicating to challenge ourselves to be less selfish, to rely on God more, and to turn away from the sins that hurt others and God. 

Stay tuned for part 3! 

Mike