Who Is The Humble Catholic?

The Humble Catholic knows who he* is.  He knows there is a God. He knows that God has given him the gift of life and the gift of free will to use that life as he wills. He knows that the greatest use of such free will is to surrender it, and wish only what He wills, even in times that seem good and bad.

The Humble Catholic knows that he has sinned, that he has spurned His gift in ways large and small. He knows too that the Son of God died for his sins and offers him the Divine Mercy that can forgive all. He knows that he can never presume that forgiveness in the slightest, but also that to doubt the desire of the Lord to give him such mercy is to doubt the unfathomable love of God, and that this is hurtful to Him.

The Humble Catholic knows that God is present with us. He is not an abstract concept or an unfeeling creator of the cosmos. He is Love. He is the Love that he can feel and share. He knows that his Lord is present, body, blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. He knows that adoring such presence, or receiving it at Holy Mass helps him to feel that love. He knows also that he feels at home, that he feels an inner peace, when he extends that love to others.

The Humble Catholic knows that all have good in them. He knows that he cannot see the turmoil, the trouble or the questions they may hold under the surface. He knows that they undergo many of the same troubles and questions he has. He knows that they, like him, often concern themselves with what may be wrong in them, and overlook what is right. He knows that they deserve to be reminded of the good in them and to be affirmed for kindnesses that otherwise may go unnoticed.

The Humble Catholic knows that even though he cannot understand the ways of God, it is good to spend time trying, asking, praying. He knows that it is important not to neglect his God, but to trust in Him, to offer Him his worries, his successes, his failures.

The Humble Catholic knows, in this age when man is tempted to think highly of his own power, his own ability to understand some things with science and his ability to control in some ways his physical environment, that man is tempted to write his own laws of morality, to decide who may make decisions for others and to decide rights based on principles of pleasure. The Humble Catholic knows that, as Christ demonstrated, the greatest principle is not to desire pleasure, but to desire giving, not to matter most, but to matter least.

The Humble Catholic knows that His Church has stood for these principles, steady and unshaking over the centuries. It still holds fast to beliefs and views that may not meet the fancies of the day, but honor the wisdom and caring of its  Founder. The Church is deserving of his unwavering gratitude and obedience. He knows that obedience to those who have devoted their lives to serving it is not obedience to such persons, but to the One they serve.

The Humble Catholic knows that there are truths. He knows that there are ways that lead to an everlasting opportunity to praise the Lord and share in the joy of knowing Him. He knows that, rather than fear anything on this earth, all he has to do is reach out and ask, with an honest and sincere heart, to be accepted by Him.  If he does this, he knows that he will receive more than he can begin to imagine.

 

(*In the piece above, the term “he” is used solely for purposes of convenience, so as not to have to continually repeat the phrase “he or she,” although the meaning of both pronouns is intended throughout. )

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