I am currently in the middle of the book Render Unto Caesar by Bishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap. and while I promise a full review when I am done this book has really caused me to re-evaluate the way I live my life as a catholic. Allow me to share with you what I read today: "If we look for opportunities to share our faith with others, God always provides them. This is why self-describing Catholics who live so anonymously that no one knows about their faith, Catholics who fail to prove by their actions what they claim to believe with their tongue, aren't really living as "Catholic"at all. It's also why asking Catholics to keep their faith out of public affairs amounts to telling them to be barren; to behave as if they were neutered. Nothing could be more alien to the meaning of baptism. The Christian idea of witness ...isn't limited to a bloody death in the arena for the faith. All Christians have the command to be a martyr in the public arena-to live a life of conscious witness wherever God places them, no matter how insignificant it seems and whether or not they ever see results."
As I read that passage I was struck, am I truly living as a Catholic or am I more like the anonymous who hides my faith away. I like to think that I am truly living out my vocation as a Catholic but now I wonder would a person know I was Catholic or even Christian after spending a day with me? I hope so, I like to think my faith pervades all that I do, but I know this was not always so. When I was younger I kept my faith to myself when I was among dissenting crowds and what a disservice I did to myself, the faith and those people. By baptism I am called to be a martyr no matter how small my sacrifice.
This passage has inspired me to become more aware of my faith and how I show it to the world, am I a good witness? I sure hope so but I must sadly admit it was a big step for me to put a pro-life sticker on my car. This whole passage has made me ponder my role in the pro-life movement am I a strong and clear voice of the truth? Am I doing all I can? As we draw nearer to the beginning of the 40 Days for Life campaign I plan on doing some real quality time in front of the Eucharist evaluating my role in the pro-life movement no matter how small I am, living it to the fullest as a martyr for my faith.
