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April 21, 2012Third Sunday of Easter. How can one proclaim what he does not live?
Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (have you noticed that during the Easter Season our first reading is always from the New Testament and not from the Old Testament, as is normal? This is done in the Easter Season as a way for the Church to highlight that Christ is the fullness of the Law, Spirit and Love of God – so we read two New Testament readings) calls us to "Repent, there fore and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away." (Acts 3:19) We are reminded that turning away from sin or the pattern of behavior that leads to sin is the ongoing act of conversion and is the aim of the disci-ple’s life. It is what we proclaim. We cannot proclaim it authentically unless we live it.
Whether we are pope, priest or a member of the laity, we are all called to proclaim our belief in Christ—in the way we live our daily lives—as authentically as possible. We do this fully by knowing what Sacred Scripture says….what did Christ really say, what are the prophets telling me? We also learn our faith by grasping Church teachings—and I mean the actually teachings of the Church, not what the media or some group interprets her teachings to be. Sadly, a number of Catholics are poorly catechized—and that may be our own fault watching a talk show or a news reporter defining the sacredness of life or listening to a politician who claims to be Catholic and yet is ignorant of church history, phi-losophy or theology.
Certainly, we are all human and will make mistakes, fail-ing now and again, but that does not mean we give up, call it quits and just give into sin and temptation. No. Rather, we renew our commitment to God knowing that it is never too late to return to the Father. We renew our com-mitment to God in our prayer life, in receiving the sacra-ments of the Church, which were instituted and given to us by Christ Himself, so that we may be fortified and strengthened by His grace to navigate through humanity; and we recommit ourselves to the Lord by the support of the Community of Believers. Each one of us who believes is called to be a support and help—like minded—to our brothers and sisters who are fellow companions on this journey to God. It is a mutually beneficial role we are called to play, a role that is not one of being judgmental but rather one that promotes the Truth of Christ, even when it is inconvenient.
May God be with us all in this eternal endeavor!