1. Learn How to Pray
It’s no doubt that people don’t see Catholics as a spiritual people and from an honest, objective point of view this seems to be true. To be Catholic has taken on a cultural form where many inherit the Church from family, being born into it, and don’t practice their faith as a baptized believer in and follower of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus prayed. Jesus taught us to pray. And Jesus is probably disappointed that we don’t do it more often. Your religion is based on your relationship with God, and as such, prayer must become natural to you. It is a conversation with God from the heart.
“With me prayer is an uplifting of the heart; a glance towards heaven; a cry of gratitude and love, uttered equally in sorrow and in joy. In a word, it is something noble, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites it to God.”
~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Prayer is intimacy with God, who loves you personally. Your relationship with God is like your marriage, if there is no communication then you are bound to drift apart. How many minutes do you spend each day with God in prayer? A few, if any? Imagine if you only spent that much time talking to your spouse. What effect would that have on your marriage?
The Archbishop wants you to learn how to pray, which might seem like a weird thing, but it is essential. How can you be expected to pray if you don’t know how? There is an increased effort being undertaken in the Church to teach people to pray: Prayer & Life Workshops, Lectio Divina, the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc. Look them up, learn them, and get to praying!
2. Read the Gospels
The Bible is not just a book of stories, it is the living Word of God and until you understand and believe that you won’t find much value in it. Catholics are notorious for not reading the Bible, which is sad since it was the Catholic Church that compiled the sacred writings of the Jews and early Christians into what we now call the Bible.
Over the centuries, these scriptures were hand copied over and over to preserve them until the printing press finally came around. Thank God for those monks! You are lucky to have the Word of God so readily available: in printed form, online, on your eReader, and even your cell phone. There is no excuse not to read the Bible.
But it’s important to remember that you don’t read the Bible like you would an ordinary book. You study the Bible. You pray the Bible. Bible study gives you the historical and theological knowledge to read the scriptures and understand the words in their original context: who they were written to, what time they were written in, and why they were written in the first place. These are some of the important questions that you will be able to answer in your study of the Bible. You will come to see how much of the daily practice of your faith as a Catholic is taken from the Bible.
But it’s not all in the head, but also the heart. When you read he Bible as the living Word of God you learn to hear God’s voice as He speaks to you in the scriptures. In this approach you don’t care about those questions I mentioned earlier, you are more focused on what God is saying to you personally, how He is challenging you in your life.
Both of these methods are important and essential parts of living your Catholic faith.
3. Study the Teachings of the Second Vatican Council
The beauty of Catholicism is that we don’t rely solely on the Bible, but also on the Sacred Tradition passed down century after century for the past 2000 years. We look to our Pope and bishops as living Apostles who hand down the faith to us. When the bishops of the world were called together for the Second Vatican Council, some serious points were addressed and we have the richness of the council recorded in her documents.
The Archbishop is calling us to study the teachings of Vatican II. Fifty years after the council there is still much to be done in bringing about all the changes it called for. The sixteen documents of the council are all available online and are also heavily referenced in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
It can certainly seem like a daunting task, but not when broken down into bite-sized morsels. In fact, you will come to see the richness of the faith in the teachings of the Church. If you haven’t already, scroll down to the bottom of this page and subscribe to this blog and you will walk with me as we explore many of these important documents throughout the course of the year to come.
4. Seek Holiness
The Archbishop expresses in his letter that the most important teaching of the Council was the renewed call to personal holiness. In essence, you are called to be a saint. Of course, many people have a misconception about what it means to be a saint. Who are the saints? The saints are those friends of God who enjoy the eternal love of God face-to-face in Heaven. Don’t you want that?
You can no longer see sainthood as unreachable. Sainthood is your goal and purpose in life. You aren’t made for this world but for Heaven and Jesus showed us that in His Ascension into Heaven. It’s not an easy walk, but the great thing is that you don’t have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit is your guide and is with you every step of the way, giving you the strength and hope to push forward. Be a saint!
5. Live the Mass
The Mass is not about entertainment. It’s not about the quality of the music, the intensity of the preachings, the emotional responsiveness of the congregation. The Mass is about receiving Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament. The scriptures are read, the Gospel proclaimed, the Eucharist received. It is the center of our faith as Catholics. What more could you desire than to become one with Jesus?
Now, many people don’t understand the Mass. Many people don’t appreciate the Mass. Why? They are distracted. They are unprepared. They are not ready. The Mass is Heaven on Earth and when you come to believe that you will not have any of the issues I just mentioned. You will prepare yourself for the Mass by getting there early, by praying in the pew, by pre-reading the scriptures. You will long to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, where in humility He freely gives Himself to you in the ultimate act of love.
And then at the end of the Mass you will be sent out into the world to…
6. Proclaim the Gospel
Talking about God is great and you are definitely called to do that, but to proclaim the Gospel is also more importantly to live the Gospel. You are a Christian every hour of every day, not just on Sunday at Mass. When you get out of church you are meant to take Christ into the world, just like Mary after the Annunciation.
The way you live your life at home, at work, at school, in public, in politics, all have the potential to proclaim the Gospel. You don’t have to go door-to-door with the Bible if you are a living reflection of Jesus Christ in everything you do. Look at Mother Teresa. She didn’t preach on the street corners, she lived amongst mostly non-Christians in Calcutta where she cared for and loved the sick and dying. She was Jesus to those people. That’s what it means to live the Gospel, to bring Jesus to life for those around you. Can someone look at your life and tell you are a Christian?