A Sunday Thought About Living Our Catholic Religion to Start the Week Off Right

Let's start Sunday with a question: Are we living our Catholic Religion?

For so many of us, Sunday serves as our "religious" day. We Catholics go to Mass on Sunday, perhaps receive Holy Communion. Then it's back to our "normal" life - for some of us as soon as Mass is over.

Going to Mass certainly fulfills one part of living our Catholic Religion. But is that all there is for us?

Of course not. We know that - or should know it. But knowing is one thing; living is another. And now that it's Sunday, it's a good time to take a step back and assess how we're really living, as opposed to knowing how we should be living.

If our Catholic Religion is consigned to Sunday Mass, and the rest of our days are given to the world, the flesh, and the (God forbid!) devil, we're not living our Catholic Religion.

Having taken our step back and assessed whether we're living Catholic Religion or not, what now? Again, it's Sunday, so we've got time - or we can make time - to dig a little deeper. 

Admittedly, there's no one way to dig deep. If we're trying to dig deep, but are at a loss to know just how to do so, here's something that might help. It comes from some spiritual reading I've done lately by Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R. It should help us dig deep. You'll see it's a kind of exercise. Father takes us on a little journey. We start by admitting our "nothingness." We progress to wanting to love God despite our nothingness. With God's grace we gain and retain a degree of confidence that we can continue to love God despite our nothingness. Our confidence comes strictly from our confidence in God - not ourselves. (Remember here our nothingness.)

Let's see if we can all immerse ourselves in this exercise. With Father's help - and God's grace - we can picture ourselves loving God with our whole mind, our whole heart, our whole soul. And when the world and its cares tries to undermine our efforts, we'll not back down or be afraid. In the end, we may gain a better understanding of what it means to not only know, but to live our Catholic Religion. 

“Bury yourself profoundly in the abyss of your nothingness. Try to realize the full extent of your unsightliness in the eyes of the infinitely pure God, then lifting up your heart with the confidence and temerity of a little child, say: ‘Jesus! I am only a child in the spiritual life, but I want to love You as the great saints have loved You. By the strength of my love, I long to occupy a place one day among the greatest of saints in Paradise. I will repeat this prayer unceasingly to You, I will attach myself to it so obstinately and cling to it with so audacious a confidence, that I will force You to work prodigies in me.’ We shall see in eternity who is the stronger: Jesus, the all-powerful, or His wretched little creature! ‘If after all, You do not sanctify me, it will be said in heaven that a simple and trustful soul has been disappointed in its hopes. No, Jesus! You would not bear such confusion as this before Your angels and saints!’     

Entrench yourself on these heights of confidence. Ask Jesus constantly to maintain in your soul the desire for holiness; ask Him to take from you all trust in yourself; then, let the worldly-wise say what they will or be shocked by this childlike boldness. But remember this: heaven and earth shall perish, rather than the word of Your beloved Jesus should cease to be effective. ‘Amen, Amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it you.’ (Jn. 15:13)   

Saturate the whole work of your perfection with these sentiments of absolute confidence in God, and entire diffidence in self. And above all, in your spiritual life, act rather from love than fear. Love dilates the heart and stimulates energy; fear narrows and paralyses the heart. Love engenders confidence and peace; fear begets trouble and agitation. If your eyes are constantly fixed on self and its miseries, fear will invade your heart; if you turn them on Jesus, Who is ever good and powerful, love will take possession of it. Allow yourself to be drawn by Jesus; do not permit fear or distrust to trouble your soul. Stifle at once all disquieting thoughts, all depressing ideas, and every sentiment of sadness or discouragement. These things are the fruits of the forbidden tree. ‘Perfect love casts out fear.’ (Jn. I. 4:18)” (Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R.)

Happy Sunday!