Although popularly attributed to G.K. Chesterton, the following words may in fact have come from an American evangelist* (as early as 1905): “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a stable makes you a horse or going to a garage makes you an automobile.”
Instead of just “going to church,” our parish is taking on the challenge to “be the Church.” As we respond to this challenge, let’s remember, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can all do small things with great love.” Each and every one of us has the power to make a difference in the world, in big or small ways. We just need to find our own unique way to spread the great love of Christ. Serving others is a sort of “generic” call, and how we do that, day in and day out, is our more specific call. But we cannot sit idly by and wait for the opportunity to arise. Be on alert for how the Lord is calling you to live in His love today.
Admittedly, one problem we face today is that when we scan the news, we can quickly become overwhelmed by the enormity of issues we face. Plus, we’re all busy with our own lives. It’s hard to even know where to begin making a larger impact on our local community and the world. So, Saint (Mother) Teresa offers us further advice: “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”
Let us pray. “O God, help us choose to put actions behind our faith today. Help us trust that you are at work in our lives and you are constantly calling us to live in and with your love. Help us know that our faith in you opens the door for your hand to move in our lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.”
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*William “Billy” Sunday (1862-1935) was a baseball player who became a popular American evangelist in the early 1900s. He is most likely responsible for this bit of wisdom about the importance of putting our faith into practice, “walking the talk,” as we might say today.
