Christ enriches the faith of the baptized for the good of all
Christ enriches the faith of the baptized for the good of all
Leader of the Hindu nation, Mahatma gandhi, he confessed, that he has great respect for Jesus and His teachings. However, he stated, that Christians do not take their faith seriously enough and do not always follow the teachings of the Gospel.
Many people have a similar opinion, who are kept away from Christ by the false or weak faith of Christians. Some people just don't believe it, because they have not met genuine Christians in their lives, living according to the principles of their faith.
Are Christians responsible for the unbelief of others ?
Living faith in Thessalonica
Every person comes to faith thanks to the Church.
Please read carefully, what faith God requires.
,,A wy, accepting the word in the midst of great tribulation, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, you have become imitators of us and of the Lord, to be a model for all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Thanks to you, the Lord's teaching became known not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has made itself known everywhere, so that we don't even have to tell us about it. For they themselves talk about us, what kind of acceptance we have received from you and how have you been converted from idols to God, to serve God, living and true, and to expect His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, our savior from the wrath to come " (1 Your 1, 6-10). Thanks to the true faith of the Thessalonians, more and more people, also from outside this city, they learned about God's revelation. The people of Thessalonica were therefore heralds of God's Revelation, and at the same time they eloquently testified of God by their faith. The Thessalonians' faith encouraged others to accept Revelation and dedicate themselves to Christ.
God calls us to faith, which is to draw others to Christ
Words from the Letter to the Thessalonians, you will hear in 23 sunday (year A), God is referring to you for more than that, to admire the Thessalonians, but that you would have faith like them.
God is calling you too, that you may reveal God's revelation to others and that, thanks to your true faith, unbelievers may accept God and give themselves to Him with full trust.
You live in a more difficult situation than the Thessalonians. Why ? You are sometimes surrounded by unbelievers, who are critical of this, what do you believe in, or they reject faith at all. if you want, for your faith to affect others, you must have strong religious beliefs yourself. You have to, that you would first become aware of it and justify it rationally, why do you believe ; what are the reasons for this, that you are adopting a religious worldview. I think you understand well, that shaky or naive faith is the most damaging to you and others. We can call her "ignorant", that is, immature, and even superstition. Often such faith is derived from childhood. It is manifested in naive religious concepts, like for example. imagining God in a human way.
At my colleagues, who have long stopped attending catechesis, you can e.g.. meet with conviction, that God made man out of clay, or that in six days he created the whole world. These or similar concepts are the result of little religious knowledge and poor knowledge of the Scriptures.
These concepts are therefore dangerous, because the preachers claim it, that they are based on Scripture., which they do not understand, however. You'll also meet people, who everywhere, and therefore also in religion, they are looking for the immediate benefits of faith. Sometimes they say straight : "What faith gives me in life" ? or "so what, that I will be a believer " ? How do you answer such people ? Or will you just tell them about the benefits of faith ? It's not enough. They are waiting for it, that you will show them the true values of faith with your life. These people are waiting for a living testimony of faith. They want to see practically, what role does faith play in creating good and fighting evil?.
In this light, maybe you understand better, that by deepening your faith you are not only securing your own salvation, but you also lead others to salvation.
How to deepen your faith ?
The Second Vatican Council teaches us : “For through the saving word faith is born in the hearts of unbelievers, and develops in the hearts of believers; thanks to it, the community of the faithful is formed according to the words of the Apostle : «Faith by listening, hearing through the word of Christ »" (Rz 10, 17; DK 4). Therefore, for the development of faith it is necessary to get to know God's revelation more and more deeply. On the other hand, we come to know God's Word more and more deeply by listening to it during the Eucharistic Assembly, and also by private reading of the Scriptures. at home. However, it is not easy to understand the Scriptures. and therefore they are explained in homilies. Children and young people explore the content of Revelation by participating in catechesis, and all Christians, e.g.. by reading religious books. In this way, the faith of the whole Church deepens and grows. Faith is a gift given to us by God. Man cannot earn it. But she can ask God for her with a prayer. That is why it is necessary to ask Christ together with the Apostles: "Increase our faith" (Luke 17, 5). Every request to God to deepen and strengthen our faith contributes to its development. After all, every prayer is an encounter and being with God. So it strengthens our faith, through which we unite with him. We do this especially during liturgical prayer, in which the whole Church turns to God, and not just individuals. Thus, the faith of the whole Church grows through her. Finally, this should be avoided, which weakens our faith, questions or doubts us. This may be the case, when an unprepared Christian reads books, the content of which weakens his faith, and may even lead to its loss. Being around people may in some cases be detrimental to our faith, who fight or disrespect religious beliefs. Sometimes there are such situations, that a Christian must read these books or be with unbelievers. Then God requires him to be especially careful. Such a person should constantly deepen his faith by gaining ever more complete knowledge of salvation and be in ever closer communication with God. Then even these books can enrich his faith. Being among unbelievers will be an opportunity for a Christian, to bear witness to God and to bring these people closer to Him.
How will I answer God ?
Faith, that God has given you, it may develop and deepen within you, or it may weaken and die. remember, that faith is not just your private affair. You can enrich or weaken the faith of the Church, bring others closer to or distance from Christ.
What are you doing, so that your faith does not grow weak, but it did develop ? How you treat attending catechesis ? Do you remember that, that your faith affects those around you too ? What are you doing, when you have doubts in faith ? Do you talk to someone about it then (with a priest, with parents, with a fellow believer) ? Tell God today : "Lord, increase my faith ".
■ Think :
1. Jakie były skutki prawdziwej wiary Tesaloniczan ?
2. W jakiej sytuacji żyje chrześcijanin XX wieku ?
3. O jakie pojęcia religijne winien starać się chrześcijanin ?
4. Dlaczego wiara nie jest sprawą tylko osobistą ?
5. Jakie sytuacje mogą szkodzić naszej wierze ? - How should you behave then? ?
■ Remember :
13. Dlaczego powinniśmy pogłębiać i rozwijać naszą wiarę ?
We should deepen and develop our faith for our own salvation and that the faith of the whole Church may be enriched for the salvation of all.
14. Kto grzeszy przeciw wierze ?
He sins against the faith, who does not care to deepen their faith and does not try to resolve their doubts. This one sins hard, who, through his own fault, abandons the faith.
■ Task :
1. W jaki sposób mogę pogłębiać swoją wiarę poza katechizacją ?
2. Sprawdzę, what religious books and magazines are in my home library.
