Thanksgiving

As Americans we celebrate Thanksgiving every year on the 4th Thursday of November. It is a time of family, food, and fun centered around the idea of thanksgiving. Most of the time for me it comes and goes with no real impact. But this year something was different. While traveling in the car from house to house for another daily feast, I thought about what exactly it is that I am thankful for, and inspired by some thought provoking Catholic speakers, I was left with these thoughts.

Out of everything that Christ has done for me one of the best gifts he gave me was the gift of the Catholic faith at birth. But how many cradle Catholic's feel this same way? How many do you think realize this great gift of truth and understanding? I often wonder how would my life be different if I had been born into a faithful Protestant family instead of a Catholic one? Do I really feel that I would have sought the truth enough to find it in the Catholic church?

The important thing here is that Jesus calls each and everyone of us to be seekers of truth. He wants us to have a child like faith that seeks the answers with an open heart. However, as a cradle Catholic I think we are held to a higher standard. Where much is given much is expected. We need to know our faith and share it proudly in charity so that we as disciples can help others overcome false truths. Most of all, we need to live our faith so that the Gospel is seen by others and thus draws them closer to the fullness of truth found in the Catholic Church due to our example. Mathew Kelly a great Catholic speaker and author says, “that we are all walking billboards of the Catholic faith.” My question to you and daily to myself, "Are you a billboard that promotes the church?"

You see billboards come in many different shapes and sizes just like people so we all have unique opportunities to use our own gifts and talents to promote the Church. We can promote the church out of charity, zeal for souls, and love for all. The important thing is that we don't promote the church for our own ego or to draw attention to ourselves. Billboards don't exist on the side of highways to point to themselves, they exist to promote something bigger. That is what we are called to do as Catholics. The way we live our lives should always point back to Jesus and nothing else.

So during this Advent season use the time of preparation to grow in holiness preparing the way of the Lord in your heart and your lives. Become that walking billboard that Christ wants all of us to be so that at the end of the day we can do as St. Francis said, “Preach the gospel and only when necessary use words.”