Guardian Angels News

We must not be afraid of being Christian and living as Christians. We must have this courage to go and proclaim the risen Christ, for he is our peace, he made peace with his love, with his forgiveness, with his Blood and with his mercy.  ~ Pope Francis from 365 Daily Meditations with Pope Francis, May 28

When I first started reading this, I felt kind of judged, because I generally do not go around telling everyone to believe in Christ – “proclaiming the risen Christ.” I have nothing against people who do proclaim the Good News to anyone and everyone. I truly believe that they have courage. When I was on a ferry with a friend of mine I clearly saw how this constant proclaiming Jesus’ love and salvation can really be powerful - touch people’s hearts, and make them grateful to receive this message. I assumed people would be turned off by someone trying to tell them what they should be believing. But as I watched her, I saw a new spark of life in the people she spoke to, a gratitude, a real connection.

My own style is different, going with the things pointed out in the rest of Pop Francis’ words. My style is more to shine God’s love and light as best I can through living as a Christian – being peaceful, and  bringing peace to others; helping people to find peace through treating them compassionately, bringing peace this way as well; by forgiving those whom I deem have wronged me in some way, and letting it go – not returning the wrong by slinging it back at them; and by seeking understanding of other people’s perspectives through acting with mercy – giving people a chance. As Jesus’ life, suffering and death have been an example for me to live out my faith, I can try to pass that example of loving compassion on to others through my example – the way I live, what I say and do not say, what I do or avoid doing. Both ways proclaim the risen Christ.

As a Christian, whatever I do or say impacts other people’s faith, like it or not. My one daughter has a hard time with her faith in the institutional church, because what she has observed through the years are people claiming to be Christian/Catholic, who go to church on Sundays, yet who do not act in Christ-like ways all the rest of the week. That undermines her faith.

As a Catholic, I can live and proclaim the risen Christ in both ways- words and actions. And I can pay attention to how people around me might be impacted by the way I choose to show my own faith in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and watch to be sure actions are matching words and vice versa. 

 Loving God,

I am so grateful for the example your life gave us for how to live a good, loving, forgiving, merciful life of faith in God.

I am also so very grateful that you offer us many different ways to show our faith in you to the world, so every one of us, including me, can find the ways that fit with who we are- who you created each of us to be.

May I use all the tools you have given me to bring your love, your truth, your good news to those around me, joyfully.

And may I always be cognizant of how what I do and say may impact someone else’s faith.

~ Amen