One of the strongest insights that I received was in a situation where the young mother wanted he baby done. I explained to her, “But that is not baptism.” She fired back, “I’ll make it what I want it to be !”
She summarized in a few words what most people actually do. They live their religious teachings at what they want it to be. It is no different whether you be a Buddhists, a Hindu, a Moslem or a Christian. There is no room for the challenge that religious faith actually brings to our lives. We live religion at our own level, even it be a very mediocre level.
Today, I would ask you to take stock of your own faith life. Does the teachings and core values actually impact your life? Does your claim to a Christian faith actually make a difference in your daily life?
In a society where life can be non-important, such as in abortion, medically assisted death or the refusal to pay a decent living wage; what does your Christian faith teach you about the value of human life? A just life where humans can thrive?
How does your Christian faith challenge you on the survival of the earth and all future generations? Do you even know if your religion has anything to teach you about responsibility and care for the earth? For all living things?
Humanity has a terrible record when it comes to making war. At the moment we have Somalia, a very poor African country, but is still able to finance a civil war. What does your Christian religion teach you about making war? Even if the teaching is very positive, does it have any impact on the decisions of governments and individual citizens?
As we move into the confines of our own house, what does your Christian religion have to teach about intimate partner violence? About battered women and children? What does it have to say about sexual abuse toward children that happens in the home setting?
And what about all the homeless in our country. Finally, this is getting attention in the media. What does your Christian faith have to offer on this question?
This reflection is not to make you feel down, but to alert you that there are strong and well-developed social teachings on each of these questions. Under the leadership of our bishops well-spoken and reflected Christians have worked out the consequences of our Christian faith in each of these situations. The average Christian may be totally unaware that there is a strong body of social teachings on each of these social issues. You and I do not have to re-develop the wheel!
The purpose of this little reflection was to spur the reader on to discover the social teachings of our Christianity. There is so much in the social teachings of the Church that our faith life will be strongly enriched and deepened.
How aware is your local Church aware of this rich source of teachings on so many of these questions today?
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