“Life’s not a spectator sport. If watchin’ is all you’re gonna do, then you’re gonna watch your life go by without ya.” ~ Laverne (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
I believe that there is one thing that Jesus indicated that He did not want to see: a lukewarm believer. Jesus wants to see someone embrace the Father’s will completely and act upon the call given to them by God. He doesn’t want to see passivity. He wants us involved. Not involved on the periphery; but, involved in the very thick of things.
In the Hunchback of Notre Dame, we hear Laverne tell Quasimodo that life is not a spectator sport. She was challenging him to be engaged. It’s a good challenge for any of us to hear. Our life — and our faith life — should be much more than a spectator sport. We should be so involved in it that we live the faith completely. Actually, we should live the faith to such an extent that there is absolutely no more for us to give.
Some might say that’s a pipedream. Perhaps. But why not aspire to something lofty rather than to something base and low? If we don’t live our faith completely, everything will go right by us because we will eventually lose interest.
A quick example? The person who comes to Mass late and leaves Mass early. That person will find it much easier to excuse himself or herself from attendance sooner or later. Then that person will find excuses not to pray at home. Then good works will go by the wayside. Before you know it, when someone asks that person if he or she is a part of a Church, a faith, a religion, the answer most likely will be “no”.
If, on the other hand, a person comes to Mass early so that he or she can pray beforehand, if that person volunteers to be a lector, a cantor, an usher, a greeter, or a server, that person will be much more invested in his or her faith. Instead of looking for an excuse to quit attending, that person will look for opportunities to volunteer more. The faith will become more personal and he or she will want to be highly engaged in living the faith.
The first example is from the perspective of a spectator. The second example is from the perspective of an active participant. Which are you? Which do you want to be?
FAITH ACTION: Don’t wait for anyone else to do it. Get in there and live the faith to its fullest today.