{"id":25020,"date":"2012-10-17T08:42:13","date_gmt":"2012-10-17T13:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=25020"},"modified":"2012-10-17T08:57:42","modified_gmt":"2012-10-17T13:57:42","slug":"authenticity-the-year-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/authenticity-the-year-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Authenticity & the Year of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I have to be honest. When I heard that the Catholic Church had declared this year the \u201cYear of Faith\u201d, I wasn\u2019t quite sure what to think. Maybe it\u2019s my \u2018convert\u2019 status rising up again, but while those around me were excited about the upcoming Year of Faith, I wasn\u2019t sure what I was supposed to do with myself. Faith is so huge! Such a giant topic! How am I supposed to focus on \u2018faith\u2019? To me, that\u2019s everything there is. Too big, too vague, too much. Could they give me a little bit smaller bite to chew?<\/p>\n

So, after being stubborn for a few days, I realized that the Church, in Her wisdom, would not proclaim a Year of Faith and not include little ol\u2019 me in the plan somehow. By God\u2019s grace, there must be something in this for me. I was not excused from the party. So, I started pondering\u2026 Faith\u2026 what can I do this year to increase my faith, and the faith of those around me?<\/p>\n

Some thoughts have risen to the surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cAuthenticity\u201d is what echoes throughout everything.<\/p>\n

Catholic Authenticity<\/h2>\n

For me, I realize that being an authentic Catholic is something I am called to. A Catholic in everything, not just on Sundays, not just when I pray in the morning, not just when I drive by a church and make the sign of the cross. But at every moment.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t let the \u201cCatholic-ness\u201d of my life overflow into everything, then I am probably just a fraud. And, in this world of increasing atheism, I believe that it is only this Catholic authenticity that will reach through to anyone.<\/p>\n

So, how can I be more authentic? Sounds nice, but what does it mean?<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was a new Catholic, I thought my \u201cCatholicity\u201d could be demonstrated by the books on my bookshelf, by the crucifix around my neck, by the saints I could quote. All this is good and well, but I don\u2019t think that is what God was after when He sought for me a true Catholic life. Over time, I\u2019m figuring it out. I\u2019ve learned a few things. And I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve much more to learn.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Compartmentalize<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve decided that I will not compartmentalize my life. Don\u2019t misplace me, I am not an \u201cin your face\u201d type of Catholic. I\u2019m not going to lecture old Aunt Agnes on the Just War Theory or preach to little cousin Sammy about why he should wear a scapular. But, in the same way, I won\u2019t be afraid to tell my atheist nephew that I pray for him every day. I\u2019ll keep inviting a struggling friend to Mass, even if he keeps saying no. I won\u2019t relegate certain Facebook posts to my \u201cCatholic\u201d friends and not to others. I won\u2019t hide my faith or Catholic accomplishments on professional descriptions like Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. I will be me, 100%, all the time.<\/p>\n

For me, this is not natural. On one side of my heritage, I have my Irish solidity \u2013 \u201ckeep stuff to yourself, already!\u201d On the other side I have lots of Victorian propriety – \u201cThere are just some things we don\u2019t talk about.\u201d Put these two together, and you\u2019ve got a girl who really would rather keep most of what she believes behind closed doors. But, that\u2019s just not being true to who I am.<\/p>\n

In this world of media, of constant updating, status (statii? is that a word?), profiles and images, people can recreate themselves every few minutes. Being authentic is even more important. It stands out. It\u2019s actually kinda different.<\/p>\n

Be Honest<\/h2>\n

And, for me, authenticity means being honest. I can\u2019t live safely within a Catholic bubble. I can\u2019t hide behind what I want people to think I am.\u00a0 I have to be honest about things that are hard for me. I need to be willing to be seen as an imperfect person. Whether it is in my marriage, my friendships or even my writing, I need not put on airs or make light of challenges in my life. If I can help someone else see the life of faith as something doable, because my struggles are something they can relate to, then God can serve others through my weaknesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two facts balance the scales of trust: our nothingness and our allness.\u201d<\/h2>\n

We are real, we Catholics. And faith is hard, sometimes. But it is real, too, or we wouldn\u2019t keep striving, day after day, to get one tiny step closer to Jesus. We can see in this world, in every corner and in every person, some goodness that points to the realization that God exists, and that our Faith is true, tangible and worth living for. We may be pretty insignificant in the eyes of the world. We may not make headlines.\u00a0 But, by living out our faith completely and holding nothing back from the world, we never know who might be encouraged, might take a second look at Jesus. For me, this is what the Year of Faith is about.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe acceptance of life as it is must teach us trust and humility. This is because every real experience of life is an experience of God. Every experience of God makes us realize our littleness, our need, our nothingness, but at the same time the miracle of Christ in us. Not only are we one of God\u2019s creatures \u2014 which is in itself a guarantee of His eternal creating love \u2014 but we are also His Christ, His only Son, the sole object of His whole love. These two facts balance the scales of trust: our nothingness and our allness.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 Caryll Houselander<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have to be honest. When I heard that the Catholic Church had declared this year the \u201cYear of Faith\u201d, I wasn\u2019t quite sure what to think. Maybe it\u2019s my \u2018convert\u2019 status rising up again, but while those around me were excited about the upcoming Year of Faith, I wasn\u2019t sure what I was supposed… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"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":[3,4,90,89,32,91,154],"tags":[1105,55,51,50,859,1066],"class_list":{"0":"post-25020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-acnm","7":"category-blog","8":"category-faith-blog","9":"category-family","10":"category-social-media","11":"category-young-adult","12":"category-youth","13":"tag-authentic-catholicism","14":"tag-catholic-2","15":"tag-catholicism","16":"tag-faith","17":"tag-spirituality","18":"tag-year-of-faith","19":"entry","20":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17764,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/06\/the-catholic-church-vs-the-early-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":25020,"position":0},"title":"The Catholic Church vs. the Early Church?","author":"Steve Scott","date":"June 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Continuing from the previous blog post on the Catholic classic, the Spirit of Catholicism- we continue to look at the introductory Chapter 1.\u00a0\u00a0 One of the questions that we are sometimes called to answer is: \"WHAT\u00a0EXACTLY IS CATHOLICISM AND\u00a0WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER RELIGIONS AND PHILOSOPHIES?\" Many people\u00a0THINK they\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\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Christ-dna-in-Church4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15952,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/05\/be-true-to-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":25020,"position":1},"title":"Be True To Yourself","author":"Brandon Kraft","date":"May 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A close friend of mine is getting married next month. 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