I was thinking about what I would do for the year of faith (besides reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church) and I couldn't decide on one simple thing I could do on my (occasional) limited free time. I could read more books that would make me more knowledgeable on my Faith... but I don't always have free time to do so. I could blog more... but sometimes I barely have enough time to complete writing assignments properly. It wasn't until Mandi replied to a tweet that I sent out this morning that it clicked for me.
One of my biggest weaknesses (if you can call it a weakness) is that I will try to keep everyone around me happy if I can... and that is virtually impossible. If I don't agree with someone, I will usually keep my mouth shut unless provoked. I outgrew some of it at my CINO alma mater but since graduation I found myself reverting to that little shy shell. I hate arguments and avoid them like the plague. Again, unless provoked I am usually "hey, let's just agree to disagree." I think this is because I saw and received a lot of verbal abuse growing up and I tend to shy away from anything that resembles it.
I've had confessors tell me not to sit idly if I feel so strongly about something. That is something I've always been advised to work on. I do get some of it out here on my blog and on twitter... but sometimes I don't say enough. I do cringe at some things certain people say (especially friends I've known for years) but let it go because they're not Christian or because of whatever excuse I come up with. It's not that I don't want to say something, I just don't want the drama that some of them get into. This is a big reason why I am in a current predicament where I am completely not in agreement of the actions of one of my friends and I inwardly hope he knows me well enough to know where I stand on the issue... but it looks like I'm going to have to be vocal and it's not going to end well.
With all of that being said, my self-given goal for the Year of Faith is to not be so afraid to say something when I feel so strongly about it. Like the tweet I sent out earlier (which lost me some followers), I know that some people will get upset and I know that some friendships may be lost but I just can't sit here and pretend that I'm okay with things. Abortion? Not okay, no exceptions.
As Patrick reminded me, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matt 5:11) I cannot be afraid of what others may say to or about me. This is about me being a faithful Catholic who loves God and the Church above all else. Because, really, at the end of my life I don't want to stand in front of God and feel ashamed of not doing more when I could. I need to get over my fears and stand firmly in my beliefs. God gave me a gift and you better believe I will use it to honor Him.
Anyway, just wanted to post this so I can remind myself if needed; in case I ever feel like getting back into my little tortoise shell. It's a little late (9:16 p.m. PST) but better late than never.
I hope you all had a great start of the week and Year of Faith. :D
As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D
2 comments:
Great goal! Mind if I borrow it? Praying for a great Year of Faith for you. :-)
Not at all. I was inspired by Mandi's goal.
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