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The Southern Cross, Page 8
Faith Alive i
Thursday, October 12, 2000
o
c
What living by the Gospel entails
By Father John W. Crossin, OSFS
Catholic News Service
hat would Jesus do” is a
powerful popular slogan. Christian
cards and bracelets — common
among youth — signify a determina
tion to imitate
Christ in making
decisions.
While simple,
the sentence cap
tures a central ele
ment of Christian
teaching: We are
seeking to be like
Christ.
This imitation,
however, extends to
character forma
tion. With the Holy
Spirit’s guidance,
we seek to form our
characters to be
like Christ. This is
a lifelong process.
It requires tak
ing time daily to be
with Christ in
prayer:
First, we need to
set aside time each
day; this is the
hardest part in our
fast-paced lives.
Then we must
read the Gospel
carefully, reflecting
reverently on Jesus’
words and deeds.
Gradually we
come to see the
world through his
teaching. His mes
sage becomes part
of our view of the
world both con
sciously and un
consciously.
—As a result we
see the physical
things around us
not as mere collec
tions of atoms to
manipulate but as
God’s creation.
—We see other
people not as oppo
nents to conquer
but as fellow hu
mans made in God’s image.
—We frame situations not prima
rily in economic or political terms but
in terms of Christian love.
—We see the homeless person not
as a social eyesore or financial fail-
FOODFORTHOUGHT
ure, but as the Good Samaritan
would.
Almost imperceptibly, a way of
life forms in which we make daily
choices to be patient, gentle, civil
and kind in imitation of the love
that Jesus Christ shows us in the
Gospel.
The Gospel of Jesus involves
such small acts of radical self-giv
ing for others. Each Christian is
called to acts of self-sacrifice for
the good of others who are helpless
or in need.
It is in this context — imitation of
Christ, community prayer and reflec
tion, radical self-giving — that we
can confront the issues of contempo
rary society not explicitly addressed
by Jesus. Our response to questions
such as those raised by the mapping
of the human genome arises precisely
from our long tradition of reflection as
a church community on Jesus’ teach
ing and life.
■ ■ ■
Years ago, as a young postulant for
the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, I
realized suddenly one spring after
noon, while sitting quietly in the back
of the classroom, that in following
hat would Jesus do’ ... captures a central
element of Christian teaching: We are seeking to be
like Christ.... This is a lifelong process. It requires
taking time daily to he with Christ in prayer.”
—Leaders were to serve.
—Suffering was to lead to eternal
life.
■ ■ ■
The community of Jesus’ disciples
was to live a very different life than
previously. “Christian life” meant not
only what “I” should do in imitation of
Jesus but who “we”
should be as a commu
nity.
Christ’s message
transforms individu
als and draws them
to community. Chris
tians become like
Christ “together,” not
separately.
This is most pro
foundly evident on
Sundays when we
come together to cel
ebrate the Eucharist.
We can take this meditation a
step further. Jesus preached the
reign of God. This was a radically
different reign:
—The lowly were to be raised up.
—The last were to be first.
Often Christ speaks
to us through the
good example and en
couraging words of
community members
present with us to
pray.
And Christ’s mes
sage is meant to trans
form the world.
Individual, commu
nity and society (the
world) cannot readily
be separated. The hu
man person is a per
son in relationships:
in friendships, com
munities, cultures
and society. We are
not meant to be alone.
Some Saturday
mornings when I go
out walking through
the neighborhood, I
see a group of pro-life
demonstrators pray
ing before the neigh
borhood abortion clinic. These men
and women are working as a praying
community for society’s transforma
tion. They are living the Gospel of
peace and justice. They are seeking
“to raise up the lowly.”
what living by the Gospel
There are reasons people spend a lifetime figuring out — and figuring out again
means. This rich question can be approached from various starting points.
First is what the Gospel itself says. Even here there are different starting points:
—What the Gospel teaches in a didactic sense — its instruction.
—The example given by those who people the biblical pages.
Then there’s the question of “me.” What are my personal needs and hopes? Assessing them helps illuminate how
the Gospel might apply to my life. Naturally, my needs change with time, bringing a need to “re-search” the
question.
Yet another starting point involves the larger world’s needs — asking, for example, how I can live by the Gospel
in ways that promote the right to life and all human rights.
Related to that are my aptitudes. Identifying ways to live by the Gospel may require asking where I can make a
contribution — what my strengths and limitations are.
How does anyone live by the Gospel? The question holds genuine food for thought — for meditation
David Gibson, Editor, Faith Alive!
Christ you have “to let go of every
thing.”
This is the Gospel call — to give
everything to Christ, everything — to
be totally like him in love.
More than 30 years later I still find
this call incredibly challenging. I re
alize now that it is the work of a
lifetime to:
—Give everything to Christ.
—See everything and everyone in
Christ.
—Treat everyone like Christ.
'Ultimately it is not just our work.
Grace, the Holy Spirit’s work, trans
forms us. Without such guidance we
can really do nothing.
And this guidance comes in God’s
time, not our own. (I am always in a
hurry; God is slow. God our Father
took centuries to form Israel and still
continues his slow ways with you and
me.)
Finally, living the Gospel involves
coming to maturity. At 19 I didn’t
really know who I was and had little
understanding of what it would be
like to give myself away. Now at 53,
having read St. Francis de Sales and
other saints, and having lived three
more decades, I see more clearly.
Formation into Christ is ulti
mately a slow process that proceeds
in God’s time. We are not able to force
the issue. We collaborate with grace
and wait on the Holy Spirit. God’s
timing is best.
(Oblate Father Crossin is execu
tive director of the Washington Theo
logical Consortium.)
All contents copy right ©2000 by CNS
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