Living for Christ better be worth it

If I was describing what it takes to be a Christian to someone who knew nothing about Jesus or even God, I would understand if they thought I was crazy. Our faith demands a lot from us. It isn’t just outward things, or giving up money and time, or looking happy all the time. No, it even goes farther than that. We have to conform ourselves on the inside, and monitor our thoughts and intentions. We are asked to do things we don’t want to do (and may never want to do), but still, we must do them. We are told to carry a back-breaking cross in as much silence as we can bear and still help anyone on our path. We are sometimes even asked to give up our physical lives, or worse, what we love the most.

Why would anyone do this? And why would anyone wish this upon others?

If the Catholic Church isn’t full of Truth and the Holy Spirit, it would have never survived past a few actually crazy persons. The Church demands very hard things from us and it doesn’t back down or weaken it’s stance either. And instead of dying from a lack of interest, it has grown and flourished and changed the world. Something about this way is different. It is a scheme no human could have possibly devised, for it seems so counter-intuitive that it couldn’t possibly work. But look at how many have chosen just this! And look at what has come from it!

It would be crazy to attempt any of these things if God didn’t exist, and furthermore, if He didn’t will this Church. But because, in fact, He does, I can start down this road, and succeed in it and become a saint. Doing these things would be crazy without a purpose, but when one has “the purpose”, it would be crazy not to.