Humans are
creatures of comfort. We tend to get attracted to things that will entertain or
bring some form of pleasure in our lives. Given a choice, many of us would rather
sit around and laze away if the alternative is to face the workload in front of
us (say, studying for example).
Such situations
I encounter a lot in the Christian community, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
We want the benefits, but not the struggle that must come with it. This is the
reason why I believe the majority of Christians are only so in their
identification certificate. Even those who profess themselves a
devoted/practicing “Christian” (myself included) oft times shirk away from our
Great Commission which Christ Himself commanded us.
Yet this should
not be so, especially concerning our Faith. Those who aspire to great heights
will only reach it if they are willing to leave their comfort zone. Most of us
will be able to relate to the scenario: putting our blood, sweat and tears in
an activity. The frustrations and hardships endured; all of it became
worthwhile the moment we accomplished our goal. Be it winning a competition,
acquiring that item we so longed for, getting a promotion, acing our exams, or
even finishing a game in hard mode without cheats – we recall fondly the
feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when passing those obstacles.
The same goes
for the path of being a true practicing Christian. After all, nobody gets
inspired by dispassionate people who shut themselves in the room all day long.
Those who display high personal principles may be respected, but rarely move
others to action. Only individuals who reach out to others are capable to effectively
motivate those around them.
Take the book of
Revelations. It is a book that has been widely highlighted for its prophetic events
on the end of times. Yet it also speaks a message that is much closer to home –
a message which, coincidentally, can be applied to the Church today.
In Revelations 10:8-11:
Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me
again, saying, “Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who
is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to
give me the scroll; and he said to me, “Take it and eat; it will be bitter to
your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.” And I took the scroll from the
hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had
eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy
about the many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
This was the
message John received in his dream; yet the command
of the message is meant for all, as we are all called to be messengers for God.
Will we withhold the Word because it turns our stomach to preach it? We know
that the Gospel we have received brings joy, eternal life and glory; we also
know that its compensation is suffering, persecution and perhaps even death. We
love the sweet taste of redemption, and recognise the Word we speak carries the
sweetness of the Promise; but we despise the bitterness of the message, and fear
the bitterness the world feeds back to its herald.
We are afraid,
but we often overlook that the receiving party may just as well be as afraid as
us. We often equate “the world” with sin, yet all of us are given the breath of
life by God (Genesis 2:7), and that “all thing were made through Him” (John 1:3). Everyone and everything possess a part of
God in them. People may support masturbation, but how many would actually
fiddle their privates in public the moment they spot a guy/girl that turns them
on? Deep down most of us I believe are aware of our sin, thus we try to hide
the act and bury our conscience.
Yet, as the late
archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote in his book ‘Life of Christ’: sin has to be
confronted before salvation can be obtained. If one refuses to face his/her
fears, how can he/she expect to reach the summit? Life is not a game which can
be hacked, especially concerning the road of redemption. One has to pierce
through the many layers of transgression before the waters of grace are free to
flow.
Sometimes the
call of faith may not be delivered as a soft and gentle breeze, as in the case
of our Lord’s tactful discourse with the Samaritan woman in John 4:5-42. Under certain situations we may be
forced to adopt a more direct and aggressive stance – a bitter medicine for the
recipient indeed. Christ was no exception: for instance when He drove the
traders from the Temple. As a result, the authorities “sought
to destroy Him” (Luke 20:47). His is the
life of hostility from the world, from His birth even until this day. And if
they persecute our Lord, be sure that we who live in Him will be persecuted as
well (John 15:20).
“How sweet are Thy Words to my taste!” (Psalm 119:103) But will we bury the message beneath
our fears of the world, or will we rise up and share the life-giving words with
others? Will we be able to stand firm in our faith no matter the occasion? Should
the time of trials reach our doorstep, may we remember and hold on to these
words of our Lord:
“Blessed are you when men…persecute you…on my account…for your
reward is great in Heaven.”
(Matthew 5:11-12)
RFG always.
PS: I will like
to take this sentence and wish whoever is reading this a very blessed Christmas
season in the Lord. May He find us worthy to dwell under the roof of His stable.
