Identity

28 Aug

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ~ George R.R. Martin

I do not want to be an alarmist; however, I am very concerned over the state of the world in which we live.  There is so much anger and hatred and, it seems, too little love to turn it aside and shield us.  Because of this, we are succumbing to the demands of others.  The more recently minted god of political correctness seems to have a firm hold.

My case in point:  A Catholic school in California has recently been in the news because they have decided to remove their statues.  Why?  Because they were offensive to some who were considering coming to their school.

One of the parents, in a letter of complaint to the school board, stated that “In our time here, the word ‘Catholic’ has been removed from the mission statement, sacraments were removed from the curriculum, the lower school curriculum was changed to world religions, the logo and colors were changed to be ‘less Catholic,’ and the uniform was changed to be less Catholic.”

If a Catholic school is ashamed of its identity, it should close.  They have already lost the meaning of what it means to be Catholic.

We cannot forget who we are.  We cannot make excuses for ourselves, for our beliefs, for our traditions, and for our faith.  Instead of apologizing for our identity, we need to make our identity our strength.  We have, after all, much to offer this world.

The world is not in need of cowards.  There are too many of them around already.  What the world needs is leaders, people of conviction who are not afraid to show their identity and to share their beliefs with any who are interested.

Jesus spoke about this in the Gospels when He said that people do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket.  No.  They set it on a stand so that it gives light to all.

God put the light of faith into our hearts.  We should not apologize for it.  We should not hide it.  We should not remove it.  Rather, in this world growing increasingly dark in sin, we need to let it shine as a beacon for all who are looking to find the way.

FAITH ACTION:  Be proud of your faith.  Stand up for what you believe.  Do not compromise your faith, your values, or your morals this day.