Every good Christian should be a person of faith, a faith that is not only lived with words but that is reflected in one’s lifestyle. We, who on a daily basis are involved in many different activities and forms of service (catechists, volunteers, other ministerial roles) are called to be good Christian men and women. Our activity should provide us with an opportunity to grow in our faith: faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17).
As true Vincentians we must ask ourselves: how is our faith? How often have we encountered Christ in the poor? I hope that these would be questions that we continually ask and reflect upon. In one of his conferences Vincent de Paul stated: let us love the poor as our lords and masters since Our Lord is in them and they are in Our Lord (CCD:XIIIb:109). This means that in order to experience the presence of God we must be people of faith.
One of the characteristics of the members of the VMY is our lifestyle and the manner in which we give witness to our faith in the midst of our surroundings. We begin with the love that we have for the Association, a love that impels us to engage in activities on behalf of other young men and women, especially those who are most poor. This love, should in turn, deepen our faith in the Lord and in his Blessed Mother. Therefore, we can ask: are convinced of the fact that our activities present us with an opportunity to encounter the Lord? Such an encounter implies that we are able to see beyond the faults and weaknesses of our brothers and sisters … it implies that we are able to move beyond outward appearances.
Our faith must be an active faith, a faith which is revealed in our generosity and in our willingness to serve others and, in that service, to discover the face of Christ. As we express our love to others we are, in fact, revealing the love of the One who is the object of our faith.
Thus, faith and love and charity are intimately related to one another … without love there can be no faith and without faith there can be no charity and without charity there can be no love. These realities of faith, love, and charity enrich us every day of our existence.
Faith is a free response to God’s revelation … a response to the God who demands that we love in word and in deed.
0 Comments