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Catholics have a unique and unprecedented opportunity to impact the world for good at this very moment in history. We are situated in a culture that is racing with confusion.
Clarity seems to be obscured at every turn. In fact, as a teacher many years ago, if I wanted my young students to engage in a calming activity, I would begin with a piece of computer paper and draw one connected scribbled line all over the paper. They were then to sit quietly and color in each of the spaces created by this scrawled line, which made the papers all look somewhat alike, but also different. It feels like we are living in a scribbled scene right now, with no rhyme or reason for all the confusion and chaos.
As Catholics, our faith helps us remain free in this endless, overly connected, senseless world. We understand our sacramental nature, our relationship with Jesus and the mercy that God has for each one of us. The delightful, energizing, spectacular mercy of God is offered to everyone, but only those who understand what God is asking of them at this time, only those who are willing to respond faithfully, and only those who are willing to take a risk can be used by God for the good in which he is inviting us to participate toward the building of his kingdom. As Father John Riccardo says, “You were born for this moment.”
In many ways, this is the description of early Christianity. Those times were dangerous to be a Christian and people could be killed for their beliefs. We may not be killed, but we may suffer persecution and disrespect. Our beliefs and tenets are questioned, and our desire to bring orderliness, goodness and sensibility into our workplaces and the world is often not welcomed.
In his 2020 book “Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel,” Father Riccardo explains that Christian life in the decades immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection “was hopeful and joyful, marked by an intense, revolutionary love that was evident in action.” He contends that the action taken by the early Church was vital to that time and it is vital again today.
– Use this Ordinary Time in the Church to do something extraordinary to grow your Catholic faith.
Father Ricardo also demonstrates that the Acts of the Apostles provided a witness to the way early Christians “turned the world upside down.” Christianity provided a radical transformation for those living in the world at that time, and our world is begging for transformation again.
But who will do that, you may ask? Certainly not I! My faith isn’t strong enough for that!
Ask yourself what it would take for your faith to grow stronger. How or what would you have to change to become a person of intense, radical, faith-filled conviction that could threaten to get you canceled in our current culture? In many ways, this is a description of the saints, who lived lives dedicated to holiness, clearly understanding their desire to follow their master, Jesus. They lived each day in obedience and faithfulness to the call they had been given.
This is our mission at this time in human history. It is very clear that our world is sitting at a precipice. Catholics are distinctively situated to provide clear, faith-filled leadership to a hurting world.
We are currently in Ordinary Time in our Church’s liturgical calendar, experiencing the ordinariness of living our Catholic Christian faith on a daily basis. Ask yourself what you can do during this Ordinary Time to provide a witness to others that Jesus is your master? Could you attend Mass faithfully? Could you spend an hour in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament? Could you read the Acts of the Apostles, a book written by St. Luke, and learn about the trials faced by the early Christians? Let’s each make a decision to radically transform our culture through our Catholic faith this winter and put our faith into action.
Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist emeritus and a member of St. Ambrose in Woodbury. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
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