The life of a Christian can appear as an effort to merge two incompatible worlds. The one behind the walls of the temples and the one in the city’s busy streets. How do you fulfill the vocation of a Christian in everyday life?
Whatever our vocation, we will reach our spiritual goal if we go into everything with joy stemming from faith in God. Illustration image: www.istockphoto.com
“The Vincentian Sisters and the Lazarist Fathers take care of Christian education here,” explains Lucia Holtanová, animator of the Marian Youth Association. “Together with them, we show young people faith in God and, above all, the joy and strength that comes from faith. We want them to take faith not as a set of commands and prohibitions, but as a living relationship with God.”
It is complemented by animator Ema Kardošová: “Various meetings and events for children and youth are intended for this purpose. To help them as a community find their spiritual vocation, to bring them closer to God constantly.”
ACTIVE CHRISTIAN
However, according to Lucie Holtanová, the essence of the Christian life often escapes us. “An active Christian should not have his faith just as a point on a list to be fulfilled in thirty minutes but should live his faith throughout his life. Belief in God should be our lifestyle.” Because of a very limited definition of faith, we will also give in to a distorted judgment of what it means to be an active Christian.
“Let’s imagine a person who sweeps away all Christian events,” thinks Lucia. “However, for me, he is a person actively using the talents and potential that he received from God, for his praise. And this can be done even without holding the record for the number of attended events.”
SPREADING THE JOY
But where does the Christian in us go when we change the festive Sunday clothing to work clothes? After all, no matter what our calling is, we will reach our spiritual goal if we go into everything with joy stemming from faith in God. “Spreading Christian joy is the most important thing. To bring it to everyday situations at school, at work, in the family, in the community,” states Lucia.
To achieve a big goal, we like to look for big solutions. So we may overlook something plain and simple with a wave of the hand. The animator Ema Kardošová also draws attention to this. “Helping others, forgiving them, and loving them – for me, these virtues mean the most important thing in the vocation of a Christian.”
THANKS TO WHO WE ARE IN THE WORLD
However, in the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced lives, we forget spirituality very quickly. Problems of all kinds begin to demand our attention as soon as we turn on our phone notifications after Mass. “Sometimes we are so busy with worldly duties that we don’t even have time for a short prayer,” thinks Ema.
“That’s when you have to realize, thanks to whom we are in this world, thanks to whom we woke up this morning. This is a reason for thanksgiving, to, for example, go to holy confession, to holy mass, so that we constantly return to life with God.”
TO GIVE AND RECEIVE
Lucia also offers her advice, explaining how they fit in with this role in their association. “To be able to live our faith fully even during everyday worries, we need not only to give but also to receive. In the Marian Youth Association, there is an opportunity for both – weekly meetings, spiritual renewals, camps, and animation courses are an opportunity to self-recharge.” He therefore recommends learning to strengthen and realize your faith through a suitable Christian community.
Spiritual anchors
