What Does All This Mean?
I was sitting in a church one morning, lost in prayer, as I prepared for an
appointment with my confessor. A man walked in and sat down in the
pew across the isle from me. He sat in silence for awhile. I wasn’t
really paying attention, until all of a sudden he looked over,
gestured in a sweeping motion toward all the artwork at the front of
the church and asked, “what does all this mean?” He paused for a
moment, quickly turning his gaze back to the front of the church, and
pointing toward the statue of Mary, before continuing his thoughts,
“I get the mother Mary, but what about the rest of it?”
Kiiiind of a big
question...just sayin’.
I know it was the
hand of God in this moment, because in and of myself, I had no idea
how to help this man. Something in me said to just keep him talking.
As it turns out, he was raised in a Protestant church, fell away from
his faith and made some really bad choices in life, and felt a
desperate need to physically confess his sins to a priest. I can
relate to that sentiment. I recall a deep longing for this very thing
as a Protestant, long before I had any knowledge of confession or
even any desire to become Catholic. I think this is a longing within
each one of us, to not do the journey alone, to be truly known by at
least one other person, and to express our sins verbally, as we are
taught to do in the Scriptures (Matthew 18:18, John 20:22-23, 2
Corinthians 5:18, James 5:14-16 and 1 John 1:19). In the Catholic
faith, we are very blessed with the sacraments, the way Jesus touches
not only our hearts, but also our needs in the flesh. Our need to
physically hear, “go in peace, your sins are forgiven.”
People sometimes ask
what drew me to Catholicism. It was first and foremost the love of
Jesus in the Eucharist, but a big part of it was also the sacraments.
It was in the Catholic Church that I met Jesus’ humanity for the
first time. Suddenly, my faith was also something I could touch and
feel. I had heard about the resurrection my entire life, but no one
really told me about Good Friday, the struggle leading up to those
resurrection moments in life, and that it’s okay to struggle, until
I saw Jesus on the crucifix. In an era of prosperity gospels, no one
told me that life would be a lot of sacrifice, and that it could be
used for good, for my sanctification and for the good of the Body of
Christ when united to His sufferings (Colossians 1:24). That
suffering can be useful and be redeemed, it has meaning and purpose.
To be honest, when I first began attending a Catholic church, it took
me awhile to even look at a crucifix. I found it unnecessary, and at
the same time deeply convicting and compelling. We live this Paschal
mystery over and over in life, especially during Lent each year. We
die to self, we may spend some time in the tomb, and then eventually,
we find the joy of new life born from this time of pruning. Some
people would call this the “seasons” we experience in our lives.
The man in church
that day had never heard before that Jesus chose it. He CHOSE the
cross. Jesus had the power to come down off of it, but He CHOSE to
lay down His life as a sacrifice for us. Because He loves us. Because
He is real. Because He knows the battle we face, and that we don’t
understand (Luke 23:34). This man knew he needed a fresh start and
that it began in relationship with God, but also that we need each
other. Confessing our sins to one another and accepting
accountability for them is so important in order to heal that wound
caused by our sins to not only God, but the Body of Christ. Because
like it or not, we wound the Body of Christ, His Church, each time we
sin, whether anyone ever knows about it or not.
I don’t know what
happened to that man after that day. I just remember his last words
before we parted ways. He had been struggling with his life choices
and whether he was forgiven. He seemed to question whether God could
love him, but as he turned to leave, he said, “maybe there was a
reason for us meeting here today. Maybe there was something you
needed that I had to give, and you had something that I needed.”
Little did he know...he reminded me of the value of simply being
present to another person in need. I had no way to fix his situation,
but that wasn’t what he needed. He just needed the reminder that he
was loved by God, that someone cared, and that there was still a
chance for him to do something good with his life, and that he wasn’t
alone.
The longer I am a
Catholic, the more I hear one particular sentiment about this way of
faith and evangelization. “Where do I start?” I felt the same way
that day in church. I find this faith so deep and so rich that when
someone asks me something so general about my faith, I find it almost
impossible to know where to begin. I wish I could just show them a
snapshot of all that is in my heart and mind, all the beauty of this
faith that has been handed on to me and all the rich meaning behind
all the little parts of the Mass, the images, the words, the
gestures.
I don’t remember
everything I said to the man in church that day. I know it was a long
conversation and we covered a lot of ground. And while it is
important to know the “why” of things, and to learn and pass on
the reasons for the things we do and all the truths of our faith, I
know now what I would say if asked that question again, “what does
it all mean?” I would say, “It means God loved you enough to go
to any means necessary to enter into relationship with you, because
He loves you so much He can’t take His eyes off of you. He loves us
all so much that He reaches out in countless ways so that not one
person may be lost. He tries reaching us on every level, whether
spiritual, emotional psychological or physical. He does this through
Scripture, the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit, and yes, through
the sacraments. He NEVER gives up on you, He’s just waiting for you
to respond to Him. That’s what this all means.”
The fact that the
Church has survived 2,000 years through many ups and downs, good
popes and bad, political upheavals, the rising and falling of
nations, and even huge splits in Christianity, is proof that God
never gives up on a broken humanity and He never will (Matthew 16:18
NRSVCE).
At the end of the
day, people all around us, sometimes even within our own church, are
hurting and lost, and looking for the truth that is inside each one
of us. Sometimes
the only things standing between a person and repentance is a
listening ear who can stand
with them and simply
be present to their story without judgement, and
when the time is right, offer
a
word of encouragement to turn to the One who can meet the deeper need
underneath.
Jesus calls us to be His ambassadors on earth, to share
with others the beautiful gift of salvation that has been handed on
to us.
I know it’s
popular in American culture to be independent, there can be this
“Jesus and me” approach that can alienate people, rather than
draw them into life-giving relationship and ultimately to Jesus. It
isn’t just about our personal salvation. We are a people. The Body
of Christ. We have a duty to look out for the welfare of our fellow
travelers in this life journey (Matthew 25:31-46). And we don’t
need a theology degree to tell others what He has meant in our own
lives. We simply need to be present and be willing to share what’s
going on in our own lives. If we don’t know the answer, we can
simply say so, but the love with which we answer, whether we know
what to say or not, will speak volumes. It is this love that can
inspire others with the strength to get up again and keep moving
forward in life, and it is our testimony that can show them that
there really is a savior who loves them. Who knows, maybe you are one
of those hurting people looking for answers. And my prayer for you
today is that you will find those people in life who can cheer you on
in your faith journey, because we all need encouragement to keep
going. We all have our good moments and bad.
As I close today, I
leave you with a song and a question. How are you sharing your faith
with others that you come into contact with? Maybe it is a stranger,
but many times, it will just be a friend or fellow parishioner in
need. Many times, though, we won’t know the needs until we simply
take the time to ask, “how are you doing today?” and then really
listen for the answer.
“Does Anybody Hear
Her?” by Casting Crowns
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And
remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew
28:19-20 NRSVCE
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