CAPG's Blog 

"That you may walk; worthy of God. Col 1.10"

"Brethren", says St. Paul, in the Epistle of this Sunday, "we cease not to pray for you,...that you may walk worthy of God." These words may, no doubt, be understood to mean that we should live in such a way as to be worthy to receive God in His Real Presence at the time of Holy Communion, and by His grace at all times; and, finally, to receive Him, and to be received by Him, in His eternal kingdom of glory. But there is another sense, perhaps a more natural one, and certainly a more special one, in which we may understand them.

This sense is, that we should live in a way worthy of, and suitable to, the dignity and the favor which He has conferred upon us, in making or considering us worthy, as the apostle goes on to say, "to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light" that is, in bringing us into, and making us members of His one, true and Holy Catholic Church. In other words, that we should behave in such a way as to be creditable to Him and to His holy church, to which we belong.

Now, this is a point the importance of which cannot be overrated, and which we are too apt to forget. We lose sight of the fact that the honor of God and of His church has been placed in our hands, and confided to our charge; so that every sin which we commit, besides its own proper malice, has the malice of an indignity to the holy state to which we have been called. For this reason, a sin committed by a Catholic is always greater than the same sin committed by any one else; not only on account of the greater grace and clearer light which he has received, but also because God is more specially robbed of His honor by it.

You all see this plainly enough when it is a question of a sin committed by one who has been called to the ecclesiastical or religious state. If a priest or a religious is guilty of any offense, though it be but a small one, you are scandalized by it, not only because he ought to have been better able to avoid it, but also because it dishonors God's choice of him to be a special image in this world of His divine goodness.

But you forget that you also, merely because you are Catholics, dishonor God, and bring Him and His holy religion into contempt by the sins which you commit. It is plain enough, however, that you do, though in a somewhat less degree than those whom He has more specially chosen.

And other people do not forget it, though you may. "Look at those Catholics," the world outside is continually saying; "they may belong to the true church, but they do not do much honor to it. See how they drink, lie, and swear. If that is all the good it does one to be a Catholic, I would rather take my chance of saving my soul somewhere else than be reckoned among such people."

Now, it is all very true that such talk as this is unjust and unfair, and that the very persons who say such things may really be much worse, at least considering their temptations, than those whom they find fault with. But still they have a right to find fault that those whom God has brought into the True Church are not evidently as much better as they ought to be, than those whom He has not; and you cannot altogether blame them for finding fault with Him rather than with yourselves, and saying that this Catholic Church of His is rather a poor instrument to save the world with.

Remember then, my brethren, that a bad Catholic is a disgrace to His Church, and a dishonor to Almighty God, who founded it. A story is told of a man who, when drunk, would deny that he was a Catholic; he had the right feeling on this point, though he committed a greater sin to save a less one. Imitate him, not in denying your faith, but in taking care not to disgrace it; for God will surely require of you an account, not only of your sins, but also of the dishonor which they have brought on the holy name by which are you are called."

Source: Five minute sermons for Low Masses on all Sundays of the year the Paulist Fathers