St. Peter once said, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Catholics are specifically called to live among the people of the world. We are not to separate ourselves like the Amish or Mennonites. There is a reason for this: “To call others out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Authentic Witness Changes Hearts
Within each human being there is a spark of the Divine, even in the darkest of people and the hardest of hearts. By the grace of God, encounters with authentic Catholicism can touch or ignite this spark within hardened hearts or within those who have fallen away. There is something inherently convicting about the authentically Catholic witness. This is why Catholics must be an example of and public witness to the Faith.
Following our opening passage, St. Peter gives us direction on how we are to do this:
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Pet. 2:11-12)
It’s very hard to hate someone when their conduct is pure. Still, Catholics must endure a lot to give the example St. Peter speaks of. We must accept that this witness does not come from within ourselves; it comes from God. Therefore, one must develop a deep interior life, a closeness and reliance on the Lord, and be willing to suffer persecution and rejection for His sake.
This is how we spread the Faith—not by arguments, which fall of deaf ears, but by consistent witness, by patient endurance of hardship, and by good works. There is no other way to evangelize the culture. Mere words will always fall short; it’s the witness of a life built on sacrificial love that changes minds and moves hearts.
This is the kind of faith that moved the good thief on the cross next to Christ to commit his life to God. No argument could have changed such a hardened man.
Still, living this way requires sharing in Christ’s Passion. Are we willing to drink from the cup of suffering as long as we live amongst the unbelieving world?
Follow the Light and Others Will Notice
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. (Jn. 8:12)
For almost thirty years, I have worked on Wall Street in New York City. It’s not exactly an easy place to work. I have encountered some of the smartest and some of the “shadiest” individuals over the course of those years. Many times, people have disappointed me greatly, even betrayed me. Yet, each day I get up and go to work.
For the majority of those thirty years, I have gone to Mass during my lunch hour. The people at work know this. While they go to nice places to eat, I go to Mass. Every once in a while, someone asks me about what the Catholic Church believes. I do not advertise the fact I am Catholic; I just quietly live as a Catholic in an aggressively materialistic workplace.
Many other Catholics do the same. They witness to the Faith in an unbelieving world. Only God knows what our impact is on those around us—but the outcome of our witness is not our business anyway. It is God’s alone.
Called to Be Faithful, Not Successful
Mother Teresa would always say, “We are called to be faithful, not successful,” meaning that what we do and how we live is between us and God—and no one else. Our job is simply to be faithful to Him.
Mother Teresa wrote this short poem to help us understand this lesson:
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
Jesus never promised us an easy life, but He did promise us eternal life if we follow Him.
Take Courage, Follow the Lord, and Have Peace
Know that the LORD is God; he made us, we belong to him; we are his people, the flock he shepherds. (Ps. 100:3)
St. Peter, the man Jesus appointed to lead His people as the first pope, told the original Catholics how we are to live in our antagonistic world. It is a hard thing to do. This is why we need the sacraments, a daily prayer life, weekly fasting, and to have a devotion to Our Lady. This is how living as a Catholic “amongst the wolves” of the world becomes possible—in fact, this is how we thrive amidst hostility and challenges!
Let us remember the words of Christ: “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn. 16:33). One man armed with Truth and sacramental grace can stand up against an entire pack of wolves. How do I know this? Because it’s exactly what Jesus did—and He has called each of us to do the same. So take courage and conquer the world!
Photo by Brianna R. on Unsplash
