Has anyone ever asked you “Is it easy to follow Jesus?” Regardless of what religion we believe in, we follow in blind faith. After all, what is faith if we do not follow blindly? It is rare that we ever think someone will come along to challenge us to answer the question is it easy to follow our God. We’re not asked if we believe, but why do we follow? How would you answer that question?
I remember months ago a friend of mine asked me that very question. He asked me specific questions about the Catholic faith. Did I take offense at his grilling questions? On the contrary! I took it as an opportunity to take what I had learned and shared my faith with him. He himself is not Catholic. Knowing that it might be a touchy subject he rushed to assure me that he was truly curious. Many people claim to be of a certain faith yet they cannot answer the simple questions that are associated with that faith. Did I have the answers?
The thing about religion is that we do follow blindly. I follow the Catholic faith with all of my heart. If you’ve read my previous articles on Soulful Sundays, then you know that was not always the case. This is not to say that I did not believe in God. He was just not a part of my daily life. I spent much time away from the church. I even spent time in churches and temples of different denominations. At the age of 26, I came to the realization that God was indeed everywhere. He is with us always.
In our lives, we have to be ready to receive the word of God. We have to listen with open hearts and open minds to take in the teachings of Jesus Christ. We must believe with our whole spirit about our religion because one day someone will come to us looking for answers. It is important to know one’s faith and to be forever learning.
I had a great discussion with my friend about the Catholic faith. It brought warmth to my heart to know that I could answer the hard questions. Having answers is important to have for those around us that look to us for answers, like our children. Today I am reminded from the Mass that it is not easy to follow Jesus.
If you are a follower of Christ you know that it is NOT an easy road to follow because:
-We must DENY ourselves.
-We do not ask if we should go to Mass or Confession, we just go.
-We carry our daily cross without complaint.
-We do not ask, God, why me?
-We pray to be a TRUE disciple of Jesus.
-We follow him, even during the difficult times in our lives.
Every day Jesus asks us, Do you love me? He awaits our answer. The cross reminds us of His ultimate sacrifice, His life, to show His love for us to His Father. What else is needed as proof of His love?
I leave you with today’s homily, Luke 14 vs 25-33.
If someone were to ask you questions about YOUR faith, would you have the answers?
Until then,