From morals, to trust in God, to temptations to sin, our Catholic Christian faith is tested 24/7. The world will do everything it can to try to get us to abandon our faith, and morals. Why? Because we are not of the world we do not do the things most people in society do. The devil wants us to abandon God, because only then can the devil put us in whole of shame without hope. Of course we can't let him do this we need to keep fighting the good fight. We keep this fight going by keeping our faith, and living it out in the world. Although in doing this we have to remember that we cannot become like the Pharisees. So yes live out your faith, but do it in a humble way.
How do we live out our faith? Well we do what St. Francis of Assisi said to do, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words." What he means by this is to share the good news by our actions, not just our words. Because if we have faith without action, we become hypocrites. God doesn't want hypocrites. HE wants friends, who are willing to do his will, and share the good news throughout the world. Now, we don't need to do big big things to live out our faith. We show our faith in the little things we do throughout our day. Like Helping a stranger in need, giving a friend an encouraging text, letting people know you care, even just the smallest smile to someone can make their day. So, think what would Jesus do every day if he were in my shoes? Ask God to open your eyes to those who need you. Even the smallest little act of love towards someone could cause them to convert because when they see how we live out our lives as Christians they want what we have!
In the letter of James (James 2:14-26), James tells us about faith without works, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Today, think about how you personally have lived out your faith, and ask the Holy Spirit to point out the areas in your life, that you need to work on. We can't wait forever to finally decide to live out our faith because we never know when our end on this earth will come. We need to live out our faith through our actions as much as possible everyday. This and only this will please God no matter who we may displease in this world. By doing this we will not only grow closer to God, but we will grow in holiness, and become saints. Now this isn't as easy as it sounds, which is why we need God's grace. Where do we find his grace? In prayer, and most importantly in the sacraments. The sacraments are full of graces God is waiting to give us. So, when we can we need to spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and talk to God ask him for his help. My point is to have faith with actions, and love God to fullest, by doing these things you will become holier each day!
God Bless,
Sarah
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