Marks of Faithfulness (4)

Some people are afraid to explain themselves. I am not referring to defending themselves (yet); I mean giving an explanation of who they are, what their tastes and habits are (etc.). Many people in the twenty-first century are not just shy, but genuinely anti-social. There are many reasons for it; most of them bad. Sometimes they have been raised poorly, and other times they have just become inwardly focused to the detriment of their social well being.

As a result of this, many people today try to "fly under the wire" and live so quietly that they do not get noticed; by anyone. They are content to be ignored and just go about their daily lives without anyone's attention. It should not be surprising that we live in the most lonely society ever in the history of the world (I am not making this up; there are tons of statistics to show it).

As Catholics, we are not supposed to live in a way that is so obnoxious that everyone finds it difficult to be in the same room with us for more than a few minutes (this fact appears to be unknown by a large percentage of traditionals today so take note, please!), but that is not the only other option. We are supposed to be living out our faith in a way that makes it clear to others that Christ is our Lord and He has had an impact on our lives (cf. Matthew 5:14-16). God commands us to be willing to show our faith to others, and when we do so in a joyful manner then people will come to us and ask (with sincerity) "why do you believe these things" and "what makes you want to live like this?"

When we live like this, then people will be drawn to us and our faith because they recognize the Divine at work in our lives. If people are drawn to you merely because you dress weird, or have quirky habits, or because you are loud and irritating, then they are not drawn to Christ present in you; they are drawn to you yourself (and although that might make you feel good inside, it is not good for your soul). In today's world it is not that hard to stand out as faithful to God, since so few people are actually adhering to the full teachings of the church and have enough courage to let it be known. There are many who hide their faith before the world (and they will be severely judged for it), but we are called to maintain the hope we have in Christ in such a manner that it clearly does not fit with the world.

This means, as St. Peter says, that we must be prepared to explain our faith and hope to others. It does have to be a theologian's explanation, but it should be something. In fact, sometimes the simple faith is what draws people to God more than complicated details. If no one ever notices your faith, then you have to ask yourself whether you are faithful or not. You need to question whether you have denied Christ in your deeds (if not also in your heart). Not to do so is the very heart of faithlessness.