Visibly Catholic

As Christians, and as Catholics in particular, we are called to a life of constant prayer.  We are to continually engage in a dialog with our Heavenly Father, and with his only son Our Lord, and with the Holy Spirit.  Or at least try to!  It is not an easy task and we, the children of God, are more often continually distracted (instead of engaged) as we deal with our existence in this worldly world of ours.  Fortunately for us our Catholic Faith provides many opportunities and mechanisms for us to, often with a simple glance, redirect our focus toward God.

Last week I asked us to consider the phrase "and you call yourself a Catholic" for discussion.  We had a wonderful dialog about this yesterday which I will summarize below.  As I thought this over afterward, particularly with regard to the significance of the content of our discussion, it became clear to me that what we are really asking ourselves in this question is "how active is your prayer life?"  We have a wonderful set of customs and traditions available at our disposal, not for the purpose of "showing off" (Matt 6:5), but for assisting us in re-directing and focusing our thoughts and prayers Heavenward.  This is often totally misunderstood by our Protestant brothers and sisters.

As we go through our day we should be visibly Catholic as a consequence of our reliance on and love for God.  It should show forth to all (Matt 5:14-16) we meet.  Clearly a tall order and a lofty goal for sure, and how often we fall woefully short!  So here is our list (from the discussion).  These are the things we Catholics can keep about us to help put us back on track as we go through our day.  I have organized it by location.

Home:
Crucifix
Holy Water font
Icons
Statues of Mary, Martha and other favorite saints
Rosary
Brown Scapular
Holy Palms
Picture of the Pope
Bible and CCC
Library
Catholic periodicals and other reading materials
see office below

Car:
Rosary
Statue or medal, St. Christopher
Brown Scapular
Bumper Stickers
Candles (Advent wreath, votives)
CDs (Lighthouse and others)
Catholic Radio
Judy's patented Spiritual First Aid Kit
Holy Water
Crushed Palms
Scapular
Rosary

Office:
See home above
Desk top on computer
Home page
Programs
Background music

Activities:
Sign of the Cross
Prayer at meals
Pray Rosary

Jewelry and Apparel:
Crucifix
Miraculous Medal
Brown Scapular
Tee shirts
Headcovering in Church/home for prayer

Conversations:
Mention your Faith
Be light-hearted when called for
Show the joy and love of The Faith
See Christ in others and respond


So the question "and you call yourself a Catholic" has evolved to "which of these will assist me in having a more active and vibrant prayer life as I go through my day?"  Have a good look at the list and see if there is something you can add to your environment that will remind you of your Faith and will bring you, with a short thoughtful glance, closer to the presence of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In his new book "Signs of Life" Dr. Scott Hahn discusses 40 Catholic Customs and their Biblical Roots.  We often know that what we have and do is distinctly Catholic, but really do not know much about the origins and significance of these things.  This wonderful, very readable, book by Hahn can help with this and makes a wonderful addition to your library!

So go have fun, and exude the enjoyment of your Faith and your prayer life!  Go be a light!  Our modern culture needs all the light it can get!

SLG