The Comforts of Cultural Christianity

Happy St. Januarius day! Yes, you read that right. September 19 (and April 21) is the feast day of St. Januarius, a Saint we know little about. Legend states that he was thrown into an amphitheater full of bears who refused to mess with the incredible St. Januarius. So, instead he was beheaded and martyred for his faith. He chose a death in Christ rather than a life of comfort. Why this Saint’s day isn’t celebrated in January is beyond me.

Cultural Christianity sure has its comforts. The thoughts in my mind are being spun around the comforts of cultural Christianity and how many of my own experiences, situations, and events were lived out as a cultural Christian rather than one who was willing and ready to be challenged, criticized and made uncomfortable. I remember many times in my life where I heard others talk about my faith in a way that was grossly misleading and false. There have been times where my Faith, recently, has been attacked because of the failures of a few leaders in my Church. I know there have been times when I’ve chosen the comfort of silence in any situation rather than to speak up and suffer from ridicule or even the loss of friendships. I’d bet most of us can take a moment to think about pivotal moments we’ve chosen comfort over conflict. Or perhaps, we can spend a moment to pause and think of a time we chose to be challenged rather than seeking comfort?

“You are the Christ,” were words we recently heard at Mass. These words struck me like a clapper strikes a bowl. Peter was a man no different than you and me, reading this blog trying our best every day to follow Christ. We have our moments of denial, even two or three denials before we realize it. We have our moments of abandoning Christ at the cross to suffer for us while we seek comfort and safety. However, this specific moment in the Gospel, Peter caught a glimpse of true discipleship.

Discipleship 2,000 years ago had real dangers. To become a follower, one had to fulfill two conditions: give up all claims and be ready to die. Jesus meant releasing claims on conflicting personal relationships and be ready to undergo persecution. In other words, to become a Christian meant leaving one’s non-believing clan for the Christian community. Giving up family brought group ostracization and backlash, both on the family level and the neighborhood level. Depending upon the poor and lowly Christian community alone had its own dangers. Consider Acts 8:1-3:

¹Now Saul was consenting to his execution. Persecution of the Church. On that day, there broke out a severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ²Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. ³Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.

I walked out of church on Sunday realizing that living out my Christian faith should have its challenges. I looked at my children and wondered what I was teaching them with my actions. When have I been criticized for my virtue, prayer life or faith practices? I shouldn’t live an outward faith life seeking this criticism, but one that proclaims “You are the Christ!” How can you and I proclaim this realization that Peter had this week, in spite of the dangers?

What I realize, for sure, is that this endeavor in faith will never be finished until I draw my last breath. This first quote, attributed to Joseph Ratzinger, starts the summary, while the second quote from  Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ends it:

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness!"

“Man was created for greatness—for God himself; he was created to be filled by God. But his heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined. It must be stretched…”