Rebuilding Notre Dame: A Reflection
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The Gift of Our Faith
Being Catholic, following our faith, loving God, and living out the sacramental life of the church is monumental as we strive to love God with our hearts, minds, and souls. Knowing and following the Catechism of the Catholic Church is an area that many devout-minded Catholics care and talk about often. Worry that children and grandchildren will stop caring about faith and going to Mass are top topics for a good many middle-aged and older adults who genuinely care about Catholicism.
Where Does Being a Good Person Fit In?
Following church teachings, understanding, and knowing the faith and passing it on is indeed a deep concern for those who care so much about authentic Catholicism. Theology of the Body, being well-catechized, and following church teachings are important to those who live out their faith day in and day out. Where does the whole idea of being a good person fit into this mix?
Treating People with Care Matters
Some may question what the term “good person” means, but in a basic sense it is someone who cares deeply about other people and yes, their salvation. However, at the top of this list must and should be the way we treat people and not in worrying as much about the results of our prayers.
We must trust God that he knows better than we do. Showing care, concern, love, a good listening ear must go above everything else as we live out the command to love and serve our Lord. In chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel, he speaks of separating the sheep from the goats according to how we have responded to the sick, the poor, the outcast, and the rejected. The Lord then separated them according to how they responded to those people. Those who cared for the outcasts were brought into His Kingdom, and those who ignored them were not.
The same goes for us today. We must never put our concerns on how well catechized, how Catholic, or on the perfection of their lives above the basic care for their human person and in loving them as God does. Love must come first, and not in wishing for anyone to become more like us in anyway. We must trust our Lord as he loves all people immensely. Our number one life goal should be loving and caring for the marginalized primarily and in living out our faith to the fullest, and God will take care of the rest. He is worthy of our trust.
Dr. Anne DeSantis (ThD) is a dynamic Catholic author and speaker from the Greater Philadelphia area, holding a doctorate in theology from Pontifex University (2024). As the Executive Director of the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith (www.Nonnatus.org), she helps leads pastoral outreach to families in crisis. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Anne deeply treasures her Catholic faith and passionately shares it through catechesis, focusing on reaching out to the marginalized. She is also a member of the Catholic Speakers Organization. To learn more about her faith journey and mission, visit www.AnneDeSantis.com.
