You Can’t Say You Didn’t Know
“Even if you’re not Christian, just from being in our culture you know Jesus and resurrection and redemption.” ~ Trey Parker
You would have to be blind, deaf, and totally isolated from the world in order to claim that you had never heard about Jesus Christ. Other than that, there is very little chance that a person has not heard about the Lord. That is what Parker is claiming. No matter who you are, no matter whether you are Christian or not, just by living in our culture, you have been exposed to the story of Jesus and the resurrection. It would be a falsity to say otherwise.
Now, being exposed to it and believing are two different things entirely. However, a person will never have the excuse of saying, “I never heard about it. I never met anyone who believed in Him or in that.” Believers abound and, with them, their example.
St. Paul reminded us that we are all going to have to give an accounting of ourselves before God. On that day, He will ask us some tough questions and we will not be able to deflect the questions. We will have to respond. He will challenge us on our belief and on our living the Gospel (or not living it.) If He took His closest followers to task — “Are you still unaware?” — do you not think that He will do the same to us who claim to believe?
And what about those who do not claim to believe? In many ways, it takes a great amount of “belief” to state that we do not believe. I know it sounds contradictory but there it is. Those who say they do not believe know the stories of our faith inside and out. They have had the opportunity to see many believers living their faith. They have seen many people who were considered “bad” in the eyes of the world turn their lives around when they accepted the Lord. Do you not think that those who chose not to belief will not hear from the Lord, “Even when saw that, you did not believe?”
The life of a Christian is supposed to be lived for others. We should be an open book and each page of our book should be about the Lord. When we live and breath love, mercy, forgiveness, patience, and all the other virtues, we expose others to the Lord. It is then up to them to decide whether or not they will believe. If we live our lives as faithful witnesses, they will never be able to say that they did not hear about Jesus or resurrection.
FAITH ACTION: Make sure that others know about Jesus and resurrection by the words you choose and the example you give today.