A connection was made during Mass this weekend, answering a discussion I’ve had with another convert friend. If the Graces received through the Sacraments are real, and we believe they are, then why is it that so many Catholics are sleeping? Where is all that power going?
Brian Visaggio, over at Saint Superman, tied this one up with a tighter bow than I had postulated in the discussion with my friend. He makes this observation:
“I’ve written elsewhere (to which nobody replied sad.gif) that faith is a word we use to mean belief, but in the writing of the New Testament, the word they used meant fidelity, oathkeeping. It’s a word about how you act, how you live. Faith without works is dead because faith without works isn’t faith — you aren’t being *faithful*. Being faithful to your husband doesn’t mean you believe in him — it means you don’t cheat on him. Being faithful to the Lord, in the same way, means that you trust him to keep his promises and that you will keep yours.
To that end, faith, keeping faith, is all about how you live. This isn’t to say people earn their way into heaven, not at all, because it’s simply living the covenant God made with all humanity. “
Catholics sleep because they, in greater proportions than other pew sitters in other denominations, are not being faithful with what they have received. It is the catch-22 of “to whom more is given, more is expected.” We are given the actual life–body, blood, soul, and divinity–of Christ, and we are given an unbroken heritage from the apostles to the present, with all the spiritual and intellectual development of our two-thousand year history, and what do we, as average Catholics, do with it?
It is not that Catholics believe less than our Evangelical brothers and sisters, but that we have been given more to be faithful to, while being exhorted less to live up to that standard. Our heritage is full of examples of what the faithful Catholic can do with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As Pentecost nears, may we embrace all that we can be as Christians, by becoming more faithful to the truths that the Church has preserved for us.
4 responses so far ↓
Owen // May 11, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I’ve read a fair amount of shear rubbish on the one hand and nit picking on the other in the Catholic blogosphere of late. Enough to make me simply consider saying farewell. This post dear Bekah (and by extention Brian V) is not like that and has been well worth reading and is thought provoking. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of out “faith” and so understanding faith to mean much more than mere belief brings renewed meaning to source and summit. I don’t mind being honest and saying that I have been struggling of late – oh, I could never return to my protestant past – because I see how easy it is to loose my convert zeal and become a conventional Catholic without anyone, priest and confessor let alone my brothers and sisters in the pew thinking the worse of me.
Bekah // May 11, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I was a little worried where you were going after that first sentence, Owen! I’m glad you find my thoughts, and Brian V’s, stimulating, rather than rubbish. Your opinions, thoughts and insights matter to me. I hope we, and a few others, can continue to encourage each other toward the goal. It’s so hard to stay focused sometimes.
Owen // May 11, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I apologize for that Bekah. I should have affirmed the positive first as it would have saved you any misgivings however temporary.
I need to evaluate why I blog again, that is why I have a quote unquote Catholic blog. I used to know why, way back when, but since then I’ve never really known why. The art blog is different.
Bekah // May 11, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Because *I* need people I look forward to reading.
That list is getting rather small.
Like gas stations in rural Texas after 10 pm, comments are closed.