Prove Your Faith

There is an old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” This saying has been said of just about every professional, including clergy. It is because so many of us do not live the faith we proclaim. It is the reason so many mock the Christian Church as organized hypocrisy. Are you any different?

The Lord said to the Jews who believed in him: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.”

John 6.35-39

Today’s lesson from Christ ‘should’ penetrate deep into our heart. Jesus was speaking to those who claimed to believe when He said, “yet do not believe.” After hearing such a scathing rebuke from Christ, we ‘should’ be asking ourselves, “How can we live more like we claim we believe?”

Right about now I suspect you are saying, “But I DO believe. I just can’t seem to fight off temptation. I’m only human.” Granted, temptation can be brutal, but there is a difference between belief and temptation. Even Saint Paul fought with temptation.

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Romans 7.15

Saint Paul was aware of the brutal temptation, but he never gave up fighting. Giving up the fight happens when we do not believe. Accepting sin as ‘Oh well, I’m only human’ happens when we do not believe that Christ came to raise us up.

The Way of Christ is the way of the Church. Christ taught us how to repent because He knows temptation can be brutal. The Church opens her arms to us through the Mystery (Sacrament) of Holy Confession because the Church knows we will fall. If we believe we confess and repent.

Christ taught us how, and how often, to forgive. The Church offers a special service each year prior to the beginning of Holy and Great Lent for us to ‘put into practice’ the art of forgiveness. If we believe, we forgive even when we are not forgiven.

This is just a sample of how we do not live as we claim to believe. The ‘list’ is endless if we are honest. How we handle money, prestige, authority, relationships, even planning for the future. These are all examples of how we do not live according to how we claim to believe.

Today is the day to change all that. Reach out to your spiritual father and make an appointment for Holy Confession and begin the hard work of proving your faith in God.  You may not be able to fix everything at once, but at least you won’t give up the fight.