"Choose Life"

For a few weeks now, some of our Sunday readings have carried out the important theme of being "Doers" of the Word, rather than mere "Hearers". We learned in the Second Reading (James 2: 14-18) this past Sunday that faith alone is not enough; we must have faith and works. The two can and should be intertwined, as works of love, justice and charity are how we truly embody and express our faith. We as Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is our one perfect role model in life, and we marvel at and glorify His many examples of loving kindness, generosity, and mercy. To simply believe in Jesus's complete goodness is merely the first step, however; we are called to take what we have learned and act on it, to strive to model our own behaviour after our Lord's.

Throughout our whole lives, it has followed that once we learn something, we take it and actively use it in everyday life. When we learned how to tie our shoes as young children, we were ready to put away our Velcros and "graduate" to lace-up shoes. Once we learned how to drive, we did drive, rather than continuing to be chauffeured everywhere. In school, we learned a multitude of subjects, and ultimately pursued a specific subject area so that we could take what we learn into the world of work. Long story short, once we learn something new and important, we don't immediately forget it or push it aside; we actively apply what we've learned to create positive outcomes for ourselves and others. The same should be true for what we learn about God and our faith! As our Catholic faith strengthens and develops, let's try our best to manifest it in everything that we do, in all areas of life. What better way to spread the love of Christ than to treat others in a truly Christlike way?

In keeping with this theme this past Sunday, my choir sang "Choose Life" by Big Tent Revival for our second Communion hymn. This is one of my favourite Christian Rock songs. If you are unfamiliar with the song, here are the lyrics, and a link to a video where you can hear it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnN33ozmmIc

A choice is set before you now:
Living or dying, blessing or cursing
And know, the time has come around
To turn from your fighting
And rest in His mercy

Choose life, that you might live

The life that He gives, He gives you forever

Choose life, the way that is true
From the One who chose you
Your Father in Heaven
Choose life

Trust the Lord with all your heart,

With all of your soul, and all of your being

Hold on, listen and obey

Surrender your life into His keeping

Choose life, that you might live

The life that He gives, He gives you forever

Choose life, the way that is true

From the One who chose you

Your Father in Heaven

Choose life

And the weight you're under will be lifted away

And the world will wonder what happened here today

And you'll stand right there and say

Choose life, that you might live

The life that He gives, He gives you forever

Choose life, the way that is true

From the One who chose you

Your Father in Heaven

Choose life

Choosing to Live

What beautiful, inspiring words!

Let us look more closely now; what does it mean to "choose life"?

We as Catholics have faith that whoever believes in God and Jesus shall have eternal life (a paraphrase of John 3:16); this is truly one of the hallmark tenets of our faith. However, as we have learned, to truly have faith means not only to believe, but to act on our faith. We must choose to receive salvation and eternal life with God the Father, and we make this choice through our actions. God gave us all free will, and we are all capable of making loving, compassionate, merciful decisions.

As we have discussed in an earlier blog, it is not always easy or convenient to do what is right, just and loving; it can sometimes take a significant sacrifice. Also, we may be negatively influenced by our past experiences (such as painful relationships, losses, and hurts), our present interactions with others, or negative emotions such as fear and anxiety. When that happens, let us try to remember that God is just a prayer away. We can pray and ask Him for the strength and grace to do what is right, to help us to live our lives in a way that best reflects Jesus's loving example. This is a type of prayer I try to say regularly, and I encourage you to try something similar.

Let us all do our best to "choose life" by actively and positively living out our faith. Let us try to be more kind, more gentle, more humble, and more patient. Let us try to be more attuned to the feelings and needs of others. Let us try to forgive others when they have wronged us, and let us in turn recognize and act on our need for forgiveness when we fail to act as kindly and faithfully as we should. 

Of course, none of us are perfect, and we all take a "wrong turn" from time to time. When that happens, let us not get discouraged; rather, let us work towards getting back on track as quickly as possible. Let us always strive to return to the path that leads to salvation, the path down which we walk hand in hand with Jesus Christ.

This week, I encourage you to think about ways you can "choose life" and embody your faith in an active and positive way. I would love to hear your comments and ideas!

May God bless you, today and always!

Karen