{"id":1831,"date":"2011-05-26T16:25:08","date_gmt":"2011-05-26T21:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=1831"},"modified":"2011-05-26T16:25:08","modified_gmt":"2011-05-26T21:25:08","slug":"our-faith-walk-as-unique-as-our-dna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/05\/our-faith-walk-as-unique-as-our-dna\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Faith walk: As unique as our DNA"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I work on mapping out common objections to the Faith that were outlined in my last post, My Priest, My Coach<\/a>, I wanted to reflect on something that caught my attention. In my own faith walk, I\u2019ve always been drawn to something we believe in, that we are all part of one Body. The Body of Christ. As a Paul fanatic, 1Corinthians 12:12-27<\/a> jumps out at me. Let\u2019s examine:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though \tmany, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one \tbody, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to \tdrink of one Spirit. Now the Body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should \tsay, \u201cBecause I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,\u201d it does not for this \treason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, \u201cBecause I am not an \teye I do not belong to the body,\u201d it does not for this reason belong any less to the \tbody. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole \tbody were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed \tthe parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, \twhere would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The \teye cannot say to the hand, \u201cI do not need you,\u201d nor again the head to the feet, \u201cI \tdo not need you.\u201d Indeed, the parts of the body that seem weaker are all the \tmore necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we \tsurround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with \tgreater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God \thas so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so \tthat there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same \tconcern for one another. If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one \tpart is honored, all the parts share its joy. Now you are Christ\u2019s body, and \tindividually parts of it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

I have a genuine and sincere love for St. Paul. He was not afraid to say things and yet, they are truly rooted in the love that Christ has for us all. This particular passage from Scripture really highlights our need to recognize that we are all different and that\u2019s a good thing. Considering the unique nature of our faith walk, I think it\u2019s fair to say that we needn\u2019t look to others as a measure of where we are. At least, not through the secular lens of \u201ckeeping up with the Joneses.\u201d God has us where He wants us for a reason. If our faith is rooted in sincerity and an earnest desire to do God\u2019s Will, we have to trust God to help us let go of that desire to be like \u201cothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personally, I think it can be a good thing to have a spiritual \u201ckeeping up with the Joneses\u201d mentality when we look to others, particularly when it inspires us to do more in areas where we are lacking. Rather than succumbing to the secular and empty pressure of \u201ckeeping up with the Joneses,\u201d we can use the talents that God has given us, the examples of authentic Catholic living in the friends we make and use those two to strengthen us in our Faith, while retaining our individual personalities.<\/p>\n

Once we recognize that our walks are all very different, no matter how many shared paths we have with other friends in the Faith, we can embrace where we are, and use those friendships to elevate our own spiritual walk.<\/p>\n

So, if you ever feel like you are \u201cless\u201d than someone else who appears to be \u201cmore,\u201d keep in mind that appearances are just that. Appearances. And always remember that God has you where you are for a reason.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I work on mapping out common objections to the Faith that were outlined in my last post, My Priest, My Coach, I wanted to reflect on something that caught my attention. In my own faith walk, I\u2019ve always been drawn to something we believe in, that we are all part of one Body. The… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1831","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":190002,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/catholic-liturgy-101-introduction-to-liturgical-catechesis\/","url_meta":{"origin":1831,"position":0},"title":"Catholic Liturgy 101: Introduction to Liturgical Catechesis","author":"Michael Raia","date":"December 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A handful of friends and colleagues have requested a very basic survey of concepts on Catholic worship and liturgical catechesis \u2013 that is, teaching on liturgy. I find the progression in the following outline very helpful when explaining what liturgy is and why it's important in the big picture of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Central mural in the triumphal arch above the apse of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westerville, OH by EverGreene Architectural Arts. 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The bill aims to penalize counties and cities whose law enforcement officials will not turn over their residents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/vasquez-SB4-294x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":117966,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/corpus-christi-procession-where-the-body-is-there-the-eagles-will-be-gathered-together-part-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":1831,"position":2},"title":"Corpus Christi Procession: “Where the Body is, there the eagles will be gathered together” (Part 4)","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"June 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Where the Body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.\" (Lk. 17:37 RSV) \u00a0This scripture is also found in Matthew 24:28. \u00a0This scripture is taken from the Revised Standard Version Bible which is the bible translation used for the Catechism of the Catholic Church since the New American Bible\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gospel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/st_john_eagle-135x190.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":169749,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/saint-maria-goretti-in-texas-and-basics-on-relics\/","url_meta":{"origin":1831,"position":3},"title":"Saint Maria Goretti in Texas and Basics on Relics","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"November 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Texas has been blessed to get a unique saintly visitor this week. 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