Radical Witnesses
In a time such as ours where secularism is rapidly increasing and faith, particularly among the young, is rapidly decreasing, it can be easy to fall into despair—to think that despite Christ’s eternal promises, the future of the world looks pretty bleak. Yes, it is true that we live in a time of great indifference to matters of faith and morals. This is in large part due to the many distractions available to the modern person—technology, demanding work, entertainment—that keep many from asking the most important questions: What am I here for? What will happen to me when I die? How should I best live my life now so that I can ensure my place in eternity? Despite the decreasing number of people asking these questions, we who hope in Christ alone can never despair, for God made each one of us for the time in which we live. Our work here has only just begun.
Recall the spiritual work of mercy to “instruct the ignorant.” As Catholics, we can’t sit back and wait for people to come to us with life’s most important questions; we may be waiting forever. Instead, we must prompt the indifferent to ask these questions. It is our duty as those with the gift of faith—it is indeed a gift, not something of our own doing—to reach out to those without knowledge of the Kerygma. As disciples, we must proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While one could take this challenge literally by bluntly thrusting existential questions upon others (and this may in fact be quite fruitful within the context of an established bond of friendship), there is nothing that promotes thought-provoking questions more than an authentic and radical Christian witness.
As Pope St. Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi, “[m]odern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” This is not an excuse to grow lazy in studying our faith, but it is an acknowledgement that in a post-Christian world where the majority of people are living for the temporal and not the eternal, the most striking occurrence is a person whose life looks radically different than the rest.
Today, more than ever, the Church—and even more desperately, the world— needs authentic Christian witnesses. We need radical disciples of Jesus Christ who live out the entirety of the Gospel—not just those parts that come easy to them. We need more St. Francis of Assisis; more Dorothy Days; more Mother Theresas. And sure, we always need more monastics and more contemplatives. But we also need more everyday men and women whose lives are completely and totally transformed by the power of Jesus Christ, whose only desire is to reach the heavenly reality that awaits. Simply, we need more people willing to detach from materialism, to sacrifice temporal comfort for the glory of the cross, and to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
In practical terms, how do we witness to the faith? In my experience, it is best to start small and then gradually seek out more. I’d like to propose a few suggestions, though you may certainly have other items to add to this list.
Start by frequenting the sacraments and by spending time in pray everyday. Amidst the chaos and speed of modern life, nothing great can be accomplished without a vibrant prayer life.
Avoid scandal, and seek to live a life of virtue. The hypocritical Christian is a not a rarity, and it is damaging to the Gospel every time. We are all hypocrites to some degree, since none of us can claim perfection. But a person who is earnestly (this is key) seeking to live a life of prudence, temperance, sobriety, obedience, and chastity will set themselves apart from the current of the culture.
Actively seek to serve others in your everyday life—starting with your spouse (if you have one), then your children (if you have them), and onward to your family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. Be supernaturally generous with your time, talent, and treasure, for everything you have is a gift from God, not of your own making.
Practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as often as possible; simple acts of charity done with a humble and contrite heart that sustain the Church. Forgive often, love boldly.
Live communally. Get together often with other Catholics; pray together; share your lives with one another; open yourselves up to love freely; take care of one another through hard times. I can’t overstate this one enough. It is a sad reality of our throwaway culture that many people don’t know the meaning of genuine friendship—that is, a friendship centered on seeking the good of the other and not merely on one’s own entertainment or pleasure. Living communally and self-sacrificially is (and always has been) one of the most radical forms of witness.
Spend (and earn) your money according to Gospel values. Where your treasure is, so your heart will be also. Jesus rarely had a good thing to say about money, and a lot of otherwise faithful Catholics overlook (or avoid) this point. Beyond, there is a modern and liberalistic tendency to think that God doesn’t care what you do with your money, so long as you are generally a nice person. This couldn’t be further from the truth. God cares about every aspect of our lives, from the most mundane, routine moments to the extraordinary moments. If you’re spending your discretionary money primarily on your own pleasure and not, for instance, to serve the poor (i.e. Christ), if you’re investing in companies that disregard human dignity and destroy Creation, or if you’re driven to work solely because of the desire to become wealthy and garner status, it is time for you to do some soul searching. Christians—particularly in America—have spent a lot of time trying to have their cake and eat it too. But you can’t have both Christ (faith, hope, love) and the world (money, power, status) at the same time. Man can serve only one master.
Learn your faith, so that you can defend it. “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” (1 Peter 3:15). This one may seem counterintuitive to a post about living a Christian life. But it is true as a matter of course that once your life begins to conform to Christ’s—that is, a life that is radically different from the ways of this world—other people will grow intrigued. Inevitably, some will ask you for your “secret sauce.” When that time comes, you must be ready to explain your faith to others, to invite them into the everlasting joy and peace of Christ Jesus.
As you might be starting to (or already) understand, to live a Christian witness is immensely difficult. As Christ himself said, “How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13). For us believers, however, it is the challenge of our lives—the only thing that truly matters—to conform our lives, our very being, to the life of our Lord. And it is ever-more important for our times: it is through building such an extraordinary cloud of witnesses that Christ’s love will be made known to the masses once again and that the indifferent—those without life within them—will come to know what life is truly all about.
We will not all be called in the same way. We will not all be called, like St. Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day, and Mother Theresa to literally sell all of our possessions and to dedicate our entire waking lives to serving the poorest of the poor. In fact, most of us, due to family obligations, should not do that. But we are all called to be witnesses in a radical way—in every moment, with every word, by every choice. Someone is always watching. Let that someone see Christ in you.
In Christ,
Ben