Believing and Accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior is
no good unless we do the works He did and follow the examples He gave.
Faith and Good works should go hand-in-hand together. As it is written: "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:26)."
Doing the works of our Lord and following Him is never, and never will be, an easy task. It requires so much sufferings that one cannot bear if he/she is not intimate with the Lord. To develop intimacy with the Lord, I propose several ways: frequent reception of the Sacraments, reading the Holy Scriptures, praying, joining Church activities and doing acts of charity. These ways, if done with sincerity and humbleness, will surely lead us to an encounter with the Lord; which in turn, will strengthen us in our Christian journey.
We must remember that our Christian Faith is not only limited to "self;" it is to be shared, so that people may also experience the transforming power of Christ. In other words, active proclamation of the Gospel is key to an effective transmission of our Faith. And when I say, "active proclamation of the Gospel," it does not mean that we must be consecrated like the priests and nuns or lay missionaries sent in remote parts of the Globe (which is, by the way, very commendable and inspiring); it only means that we should apply into our every day living the Gospel message we received. "Walk the Talk," as they say. It is plain hypocrisy when our lips often claim and exclaim, "we love you Lord," and yet our actions display otherwise.
As I've said, walking in the footsteps of the Lord is very difficult, because just like the Lord, we will also experience the way of the cross. Remember, "no servant is greater than his Master." But do not lose heart, because just like how the Lord received His Glory, we too, will receive ours... only if we remain faithful to Him and do His works until the end.
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me CANNOT be my disciple," says the Lord (Luke 14:27).
Doing the works of our Lord and following Him is never, and never will be, an easy task. It requires so much sufferings that one cannot bear if he/she is not intimate with the Lord. To develop intimacy with the Lord, I propose several ways: frequent reception of the Sacraments, reading the Holy Scriptures, praying, joining Church activities and doing acts of charity. These ways, if done with sincerity and humbleness, will surely lead us to an encounter with the Lord; which in turn, will strengthen us in our Christian journey.
We must remember that our Christian Faith is not only limited to "self;" it is to be shared, so that people may also experience the transforming power of Christ. In other words, active proclamation of the Gospel is key to an effective transmission of our Faith. And when I say, "active proclamation of the Gospel," it does not mean that we must be consecrated like the priests and nuns or lay missionaries sent in remote parts of the Globe (which is, by the way, very commendable and inspiring); it only means that we should apply into our every day living the Gospel message we received. "Walk the Talk," as they say. It is plain hypocrisy when our lips often claim and exclaim, "we love you Lord," and yet our actions display otherwise.
As I've said, walking in the footsteps of the Lord is very difficult, because just like the Lord, we will also experience the way of the cross. Remember, "no servant is greater than his Master." But do not lose heart, because just like how the Lord received His Glory, we too, will receive ours... only if we remain faithful to Him and do His works until the end.
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me CANNOT be my disciple," says the Lord (Luke 14:27).
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