Pope Urges Public Displays of Faith
For the longest time, I resisted any urge to wear my Catholic faith on my sleeve. Jesus's disdain for the self-righteous Pharisees stayed with me from my catechism days. In Luke 18:10-14, Jesus draws a comparison between the holier-than-thou pharisee and the truly penitent tax collector whose begging for forgiveness is heartfelt. In the Sermon on the Mount, He also cautioned:
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites 2 do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. (Matthew 6:2-7)
As a Catholic, I am not a WWJD bracelet person. I always found slogans found on t-shirts and bumper stickers - "God is Awesome" or "His Pain, Your Gain" - to be akin to that showing off. I still believe the "I'm saved" mentality is just another manifestation of one-upmanship.
Yet as the secular agenda seeks to unravel the moral fabric of our society, I am beginning to wonder how we can prevent this from happening without open expressions of faith. The Pope, whome I trust to have the best perspective on this issue, is thinking the same thing.
Hmmm, maybe a Lawn Madonna isn't such a bad idea!
