The right view of religion

As I know you, you are not indifferent to your faith. You feel called to Christianity. Being a Christian does not mean that I accept the teachings of the Lord Jesus or speak to him by mouth, but believing and being a good Christian is a matter of life, being a faithful believer of Christ every day. On this subject, the Lord Jesus very often spoke to the apostles and the Pharisees to all who came to listen to his words. He once said these words: “Not everyone who says to me: Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21). The Lord Jesus has invited us and still invites us today to practice this much-needed activity of ours. Our faith does not ask us for many beautiful words or flowery expressions but a sacrificial Christian life by asking for actions that would confirm the truth of what we are saying.

To practice such a religion, they want to encourage us to read at St. Mass, especially the encouragement of the poor widow, but also a warning to the scribes and Pharisees. With their lives, the Pharisees denied the true religion they preached through their mouths. Theoretically, they were religious, but as for practice, life, they did the exact opposite. They often prayed only for their people to see what the Lord Jesus rebuked them for. In this gospel, we are taught how to connect theory with practice and see its true religion. Above all, it must be a religion based on the inside, on the heart, on its needs, and for the needs of other hearts. Our faith must not be based on external things, processes, decorations, pomp. All this is good, we can say very good, but it is not proof of true religion. The Lord Jesus calls such religion a religion “to watch.” The Pharisees often practice this in their lives. They did everything so that people could see them. It often became pride for them, and there was a desire for material benefits.

This gospel also clearly states this: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long garments, long for greetings in the streets, for the first seats in synagogues, and feasts at feasts. They will eat the houses of the widows and seem to be praying for a long time. “(Mark 12: 38-40). there was no sincerity. It is difficult to dislike such a religion of the Lord God. The Lord Jesus often denounced it, pointing out that there can be no talk of true religion without inner transformation in man. What religion is in our hearts? It is above all a sensitive heart, a heart, who often prays in the words of the hymn of St. Ambrose: “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but your name, praise.” Let the words of St. Augustine be the main idea of ​​our religion for us in this area: “When you pray, and in the hymns and songs, let your mouth say what is in your heart, what you live every day. “

True religion, therefore, comes from a devotional heart to God. True, it must be a religion supported by our whole lives. The Christian religion is not measured by the number of rosaries prayed or by the length of the devotions performed but by the depth with which we can make sacrifices. The gospel woman shows us the true treasury of religion. The Lord Jesus praised her religion publicly when He said to His Apostles, “Verily I say unto you, This poor widow hath cast in more than all those that have cast into the treasury. For they all gave of their abundance, but in her poverty, she gave all that she had, all her livelihood “(Mark 12: 43-44). It was not the sacrifice to the Lord Jesus, for it is not decisive before God. Still, her generosity was: above all, to glorify God, she proved it with a modest but significant gesture, when we do acts of religion in our lives, whether they are prayers, acts of mercy, we think of what leads us to this act, what is hidden in the secret chambers of our hearts, what are our secret thoughts, desires, if we do so with the thought of God, our sacrifice will be kindly accepted by God, but if we do something for the sake of admiration and sight, let us realize that we will already be rewarded for it on earth. Let us not earn merit for heaven, for heaven man earns merit exclusively by selfless deeds; such deeds are needed as much as possible in our lives; they are not only an ornament that values ​​these deeds but also give the Church the splendor and glory. Something costs, the more with ú valuable in God’s eyes. There are a lot of people who can’t rate them. It doesn’t matter; it is not decisive. The main thing is that Almighty God will evaluate them. He alone will give us a truly objective reward for them. May our religion be the same as our lives. Let’s try to follow in this consideration of St. Vincent de Paul, Mother Teresa, and so many others who have so noble inscribed themselves in the history of our Church as faithful followers of the Lord Jesus. Let’s try our religion to reach for those things which will liken us to the Lord Jesus and unite us with him forever.

Marcel Callo can be an example. One of his friends from their group told a concise description about him: Marcel did not have two faces, only one. And he wore this Christian face everywhere. He found that more than words could be set by example. He was captivated by his example. He realized the unity of faith and life concretely in every weekday: in the performance of work, in his free time, but also his love for his fiancée Margate. We read in his records: Happiness lies in fulfilling the tasks it brings every day. Hard times have come for France. World War II. German troops occupied several French regions, and thousands of Frenchmen were taken to Germany for work. Marcel left voluntarily with his natives for labor camps. The reason for his voluntary departure? He wanted to help his brothers spiritually in a difficult position. He wanted them not to lose their faith, not to lose Christ because only he is their only salvation. Marcel knew what awaited him if he was caught in this lay apostolate of his. They managed to expose him. He was tortured in the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he died on March 19, 1945, just before the end of the war, as a martyr for the Catholic faith. He was only 24 years old. What to add? He had a heart in his deeds … Let the example of a poor but religious woman-widow open our eyes and help us look at our religion with the right view. It must not be a nonsensical religion, forced, soulless, but alive, humble, whose roots are in the human heart. It will be for God’s celebration and salvation for us.