The answer is plain and simple and it relies wholly on just how Christ like we are. That is our identity and it should shine out like a beacon in the dark.
I know people like that; some are priests, some are nurses and some are just everyday folk who have worked hard to assume the mantle.
It has an interior aspect (as The Catholic Whistle) has pointed out but it must also have an exterior one. The result of private meditation must be an aura of sanctity just as good works must also produce the same.
Saying one's rosary beads on the plane or train is not the Catholic identity but it does contribute towards creating it. Spending one's spare time helping the destitute and homeless is not the Catholic identity but it does form it.
Of course, it is God's Grace that comes as a result of prayer and charitable works that moulds our identity. It is Grace that makes us more like Christ but we can also work to draw ourselves closer to being Christ like (as opposed to the priestly calling to be 'other Christs).
* Maintain a reverent silence at Mass and at all times when in church
* Be prepared to condemn without being
judgemental
* State the Catholic case in your social and work environments (when it's called for)
* Advocate support for the Holy Father amongst your Catholic peers
* Avoid the bitterness of Catholic 'politics'
* Teach your faith but do not preach it
* Be justifiably angry when faced with wrongdoing but leave the overturning of tables to
the Lord
* Seek out the company of like minded people
* Draw up a mental checklist of your attributes and then decide if you like what you see
* Take all necessary steps to increase your reverence and devotional outlook.
By that I mean only receiving Holy Communion by mouth, kneeling and from a priest
if humanly possible and by genuflecting when crossing the path of the tabernacle
* Seeing the face of Christ in those around us whom we have difficulty in loving
Oh......and by not holding hands at the Our Father!
I know people like that; some are priests, some are nurses and some are just everyday folk who have worked hard to assume the mantle.
It has an interior aspect (as The Catholic Whistle) has pointed out but it must also have an exterior one. The result of private meditation must be an aura of sanctity just as good works must also produce the same.
Saying one's rosary beads on the plane or train is not the Catholic identity but it does contribute towards creating it. Spending one's spare time helping the destitute and homeless is not the Catholic identity but it does form it.
Of course, it is God's Grace that comes as a result of prayer and charitable works that moulds our identity. It is Grace that makes us more like Christ but we can also work to draw ourselves closer to being Christ like (as opposed to the priestly calling to be 'other Christs).
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| Catholic identity shines through here |
What steps can we take to build our identity, other than prayer and meditation and the avoidance of sin?
Here are a few thoughts......
* Be prepared to condemn without being
judgemental
* State the Catholic case in your social and work environments (when it's called for)
* Advocate support for the Holy Father amongst your Catholic peers
* Avoid the bitterness of Catholic 'politics'
* Teach your faith but do not preach it
* Be justifiably angry when faced with wrongdoing but leave the overturning of tables to
the Lord
* Seek out the company of like minded people
* Draw up a mental checklist of your attributes and then decide if you like what you see
* Take all necessary steps to increase your reverence and devotional outlook.
By that I mean only receiving Holy Communion by mouth, kneeling and from a priest
if humanly possible and by genuflecting when crossing the path of the tabernacle
* Seeing the face of Christ in those around us whom we have difficulty in loving
Oh......and by not holding hands at the Our Father!
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| Jim Caveziel, Catholic actor who played Christ in The Passion of the Christ and who refuses to undertake any risque scenes in the films he stars in. He carries the 'CI' |
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| St Maximilian Kolbe SJ., gave up his life to save a Jewish prisoner. It is not just the act that yields a Catholic identity, you can see goodness in his face |
I really enjoyed reading the posts on your blog. I would like to invite you to come on over to my blog and check it out. God's blessings to you. Lloyd
ReplyDeleteI like the simple truth of your list....EXCEPT for the kneeling for Communion. That would be wonderful, if possible. The geography of the front of our church, very narrow, and the way the lines form, kneeling would mean sticking your feet into the line of traffic, tripping people.
ReplyDeleteBetter you suggest that it is a goal to be devoutly hoped for, and at the least, we genuflect before receiving and receive on the tongue every time possible.
But if we knelt at my church, we'd have weekly casualty lists.
Therese Z - One of the many things I like about our faith is that is has an innate air of common sense about it.
ReplyDeleteIf you cannot kneel without disabling someone then, of course, it is fine to stand as you say.
I read somewhere that despite his ultimate sacrifice St Maximilian Kolbe was attacked by the "usual suspects" for being "anti semitic" for his output before WW2 [in other words for being a faithful Catholic priest]. My God! What else did the Saint have to do to prove that his axe was being wielded against false belief and godlessness, rather than Jewish individuals. Some people are never happy, but then I suppose we've seen that with their treatment of Pope Pius XII
ReplyDelete