Where Are All the Catholics With a Living Faith (Where Are YOU?)

If Catholics were really had a living faith they would be an unstoppable force for good in the world. But the sad fact is, most Catholics are not living as disciples of Jesus. Do you want to miss the opportunity of a lifetime?

The Current State of the Church

I know it sounds judgmental for me to say that most Catholics are not living as true disciples. After all, how the heck do I know they don’t have a living faith? Well, let’s think about it for a bit . . .

1. God empowers us with the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit to not only have a more dynamic relationship with Him but also to engage the world with His power. Most Catholics can’t even list the seven Gifts (I know because I ask them when I go out teaching) and have never considered with gifts are most active in their lives.

2. God further empowers us with charisms to carry out the mission that he has planned for us. Most Catholics don’t know what the charisms even are, have never discerned which ones they have, and have no clue that they are called to participate in the Mission of Jesus and His Church.

3. God calls every Catholic to learn how to love perfectly within a specific vocation. Most Catholics still think that the term “vocation” is limited to the priesthood or religious life (witnessed among other places in the “prayer for vocations” used in many dioceses). Those who are married see marriage the same way the culture does – as a selfish pursuit of self-fulfillment that too often fails and becomes the “Old Ball and Chain.” We think marriage is the fulfillment of the desire to find perfect love – or at least that it should be – rather than seeing it as a school of love. When we fail to realize our unrealistic expectations, we get divorced. Catholic divorce rates are the exact same as the general population.

What Would a Living Faith Look Like?

Now let’s consider what the Church and the world would be like if Catholics actually had a living faith and embraced the adventure:

1. Catholics would be actively living the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They would live and promote a

balanced use of created goods. They would constantly grow in their understanding of the faith and be willing and able to teach it to others. They would see the world as God sees it, and bring God’s wisdom to others. They would understand morality not as a set of rules that limit our freedom, but as a dynamic part of our relationship with God and our participation in the goodness that God offers us in the world, and they would have the courage to defend that goodness when it was challenged by an errant culture. They would enjoy giving God honor and worship because doing so would be an expression of love to their greatest love. Their excitement would be contagious and would attract others to the faith without the need for flashy visual aides or hip music to draw people in superficially. They would live as if their relationship with God were the most important thing in the universe, and their very lives would be a witness to the preciousness of faith. The “New Atheists” wouldn’t stand a chance.

2. Catholics would be using their charisms to serve the world. Thy would be the most dynamic creative people in the world. Catholic wisdom would creatively imbue the cinema and new video media (think J.R.R. Tolkein) and music and art. There would be exciting novels about people living virtuous lives or learning important moral lessons (without being too obvious – that’s not the Catholic way). People living in the darkness of the world would find in their Catholic friends and neighbors gentle wisdom, consolation, support and strength. Catholic teaching would be clearly and boldly proclaimed in a way that would make people stop and think rather than scoff. There are so many other charisms that I could go on-and-on. But what a force for good could the Church be if every Catholic would discern his or her charisms and exercise them for the good of the world and the Church?

3. Not only would Catholic divorce rates go down, but our culture would not consider marriage an antiquated ideal that is no longer relevant to society. They may see it as difficult, but they’d see Catholics truly living it. As Catholics in all vocations learned to love as Christ loved, we would bring that love into a hurting and alienated culture. We would truly stand as salt of the earth and the light of the world. Within our parishes we would build authentic Catholic community – no need for doughnut Sunday or a committee of official greeters. Members of the Church would see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ rather than members of a social club. We’d reach out to each other and take care of each other. Poverty within the Church would be eliminated, not because of some social program but because the members of the Church family couldn’t stand to see a brother or sister go without. That loving care would naturally extend beyond the walls of the parish, making the parish a force for good and for God’s love in the world. All of this would happen because Catholics would see their main task on earth to learn how to love God and neighbor perfectly.

Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn’t it? But consider the second chapter of Acts, describing the early Church. Consider the power that saints yielded for good in the world (Mother Theresa, Saint Francis, Saint Dominic, and so many more had a profound effect on the entire world). Consider the powerful effect that many of our non-Catholic Christian communities have in their local area when they are faithful to the Gospel. It is possible for the Church to rise to these heights. More than possible – it’s the will of Jesus who founded His Church to be His Body.

Your Living Faith Challenge

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of farting around with my faith. I tired of lukewarmness – in myself as much as in those around me. I’m tired of the Catholic Church being a non-entity in our secular-humanist, modernist culture. I want to become a radical lover and follower of Jesus. Instead of squeaking into Heaven, I want to enter triumphantly at my Lord’s side, dragging as many people as I can along with me. It’s time for Catholics to start really living their faith. But it does no good for us to sit around and point our fingers at everyone else. It’s time for ME to start living the faith. What about you? Are you ready?

Your Next Action Step

If you want to join me in this revolution – the revolution of your own life – then I want to invite you to join me for the Keys to Spiritual Growth program. This online e-course program will take you step-by-step through practical strategies to grow in each of five areas of spirituality: living a well-ordered life so we can focus on what is truly important, creating a habit of daily prayer and deepening our prayer life, forming our character through the establishment and strengthening of virtues, learning to love our neighbor by becoming a better friend, and living the adventure of our faith by embracing our office within the Church, our vocation, and our mission. Again, these five “Keys to Spiritual Growth are:

1. Well-Ordered Life (virtue of prudence)
2. Prayer
3. Virtue
4. Friendship (love)
5. Living as a disciple of Jesus (office, vocation and mission).

Not only will you learn about these areas of spirituality, you will join me in applying the principles we discuss to our faith lives. That’s right – I’ll be applying them right along with you. You can get started in this program really easily by taking a fREE e-course called the “Keys to Spiritual Growth.” This course will introduce you to these five key areas of spirituality and get you started implementing the strategies. Then you can choose which areas you want to do a deep-dive in with the paid courses. Register for this free course by clicking here and start truly living as a disciple of Jesus today! Let’s embrace the adventure of a real, active, living faith!