Skip to main content

Real Christianity

How many times have I heard: "I'm a nice person and I try not to judge others" as a profession of faith? How many times have I heard Christians say "Well, just be nice and you will make it to Heaven!"? How many times have I heard people say: "I made my First Communion and I made my Confirmation"? These people think that Christianity is all about being a good person and getting a prize for it.
This isn't Christianity at all! It's watered down Christianity that's as effective as Madam Toussaint and her crystal ball or the guy on stage who keeps shouting that if you give him money you'll grow rich and get to Heaven that way.
Being "Nice" has nothing to do with Christianity. "Making" a Sacrament isn't possible. "Only God can judge me" is a farce and an excuse for immoral behavior.
Don't be a "Watered Down" anything! Believe in Jesus Christ, realize that He loves you and then love Him! Take up your cross and follow Jesus. Live what the Bible says and worship God in Spirit and in Truth! There is no other way. There is no "Uber" to Heaven. You can't pay your way in!
Being "Half Christian" is not going to do. Give up the Karma and the Luck and the Superstition and simply walk with God and study His Holy Word!
So, what does it mean to be a REAL Christian? Realize who you are at this moment. If you think that you don't deserve to have God in your life remember that Jesus came for sinners, not the self righteous. If you think that you are a nice Christian forget that word and take on the real meaning of being a Christian. Realize that you were made in the image and likeness of God. God isn't "nice", God is "holy", which comes from the same word as health, whole and pure. You cannot purify yourself. Turn to God and ask Him to take you, purify you and make you His child. Do this with humility, which is not trashing yourself but realizing who you are and what you have done. Let go of all of the selfish things you have done and that part of you which tends to be selfish, to get your own way, to take what is not yours, to speak in ways that are harmful to others, including gossip and arrogance. Ask God for the wisdom to know His Will and the Courage to do it! Turn your life over to God in silent prayer or aloud, if you wish. You can do this alone or with people who love you. Take a personal inventory of what kind of person you really are. Write it down and keep it in a safe place until you are finished with it. Include your character defects and selfish actions. When you are finished read aloud to yourself and ask God to forgive you. Go to a Priest and to Confession. Don't belabor details, just get down to the facts of what you have done in mind, heart and or action and admit that you are in need of Christ's love (Grace). If you are not Catholic find a minister or another person of faith who loves you and can keep what you say confidential. Continue with your life, free from the enslavement to sin. Realize that Jesus Christ is your Savior, but not far from you. He is not only your friend, but He loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Tell Him in prayer that you love Him. Keep this up until you really believe it and can say it with sincerity. "I love you Jesus", or something similar. Keep in touch with people who share this belief and trust in Jesus Christ. Thank Jesus as often as possible. Make your prayer honest and straightforward. A prayer such as this is far more effective than long prayers which are not really meant. Share this message in a loving way with others, not demanding to be heard or that they do this your way, but invite them to the freedom of being a Child of God. Live in a way that shows your love for Jesus Christ and for others. Review your own life on a regular basis. Realize that you weren't forced to do any of this, you were free to do all of this! Rejoice and give thanks. Enjoy the love, the freedom and the certainty that God loves you and that you love Him and His creation, mostly the people that come into your life. Get into the habit of being joyful. Christianity is not a religion of promotion, but a religion and spirituality of attraction. People will come if there is love of God and love of neighbor. Be that in your life!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

From throwing rocks at Catholics to entering the Church in more ways than one! My Conversion Story I am a Convert to the Catholic faith. I grew up in Southern California as a Methodist and became Catholic when I was 19. As a kid I used to go to my buddy Eddy’s house on Sunday mornings. He lived across the street from a big Catholc Church, St. Emydius in Lynwood, CA. He was Presbyterian. We were little scoundrels and had no idea why, but we would throw rocks at the Catholics as they drove their cars into the parking lot. One day in the hot summer of the early 1960s I went to his house. Eddy wasn’t home. So,  I walked across the street and saw the doors of that Catholic Church open. I went inside. They had a little place where you could wash your hands and face. I looked around inside the dark cool Church. There were people inside! It wasn’t even Sunday and there were people praying! I thought it must be some kind of special occasion so I waited for a “service” to start. There was none.
Hello to all This is my first blog post.    I am a Catholic Priest in Ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I was Ordained in 1981 by Timothy Cardinal Manning. I've been assigned to parishes all over the Archdiocese, taught Catholic Church History and Doctrine, been a Jail Chaplain (Part time), Chaplain for Law Enforcement and am currently Chaplain for the Downey Firefighters. I have been at this Parish as Pastor since 2003. I just retired as Pastor and have begun a new phase of ministry in which I can minister, but don't have to do administration.  I speak fairly good English, for a guy who was born in Indiana and raised in California. I also speak fairly good German and Spanish.  So far I've filled in for a Pastor who was on vacation, gone to Scotland where I am the official "Padre in Residence" in a Castle owned by a family in Texas, done German Mass in Los Angeles and Anaheim on a few occasions and minister to the people where I live in their Sacramental
The Miracle in the Emergency Room How would you react if you saw a dead man suddenly come back to life? I am Pastor Emeritus (Retired) of St. Raymond Nonnatus Church in Downey, Calif., a city in southeast Los Angeles County. But at the time this happened I was stationed at St. Raphael Parish in Goleta (just west of Santa Barbara) CA. and very near Goleta Valley Hospital. I had just arrived at a home in the hills to have a Mass with a group of young adults to celebrate Mass and then enjoy a barbeque following. But I got a call from the hospital. Paramedics had brought in an older gentleman who had suffered a heart attack. I rushed back down the hill to Goleta Valley Community Hospital. I remember walking into the Emergency Room. I knew the nurse in charge there, and she knew me. I was teaching her son at the local Catholic High School. She and her husband and their family were members of his parish, and she would call him whenever emergencies arrived at the hospital. I can remember this