Five Positive Ways for Catholics to Rebel against the World

The following comes from the Integrated Catholic Life blog:

1. Avoid Cafeteria Catholicism – We can’t pick and choose what we believe and still be authentically Catholic.  Follow the Magisterium and authentically practice our faith, trusting that two millennia of Church history and teaching are far superior to what we may come up with on our own.  ‎”Be Catholic, really, faithfully, unapologetically Catholic, and the future will have the kind of articulate and morally mature leaders it needs.” (Archbishop Charles Chaput)
2. Put our Pride aside and Surrender – “Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.”(St. Ignatius of Loyola)  It must take a pretty big ego to say no to Christ and His Church! What we need is more humility, total surrender and a sincere commitment to put Christ’s will before our own.  I know from personal experience that doing it my way has never really worked out well.
3. Practice Personal Holiness – “The call to holiness is rooted in Baptism and proposed anew in the other Sacraments, principally in the Eucharist. Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by his Spirit, they are ‘holy’. They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do. The apostle Paul never tires of admonishing all Christians to live ‘as is fitting among saints’ (Eph 5:3).  (Blessed John Paul II, Christifideles Laici 16)
4. Be Joyful! – It is so easy to get lost in our problems and forget to be joyful-it happens to me and just about everyone else I know.  But, remember that we are surrounded by people who are watching us.  They may be seeking Him and looking for someone, anyone, to show them the way to Christ.  They could learn from our good example, be inspired by our joy and be encouraged by our faith journey if we will only remember that we are called to share the Good News.  If we are gloomy, frustrated, inward-focused and critical of the Church we will never be able to help anyone and may put our own salvation at risk.
5. Pursue Heaven, Reject the World – Heaven is our ultimate destination and not this place called Earth.  Will our critics help us get to heaven?  Will they stand up for us during tough times?  No, they will pull us into a secular way of life which has little room for God and where materialism and popularity are the fashionable idols of the day.  Doing what is right is not always easy, but in the long run it is clearly the most beneficial.  Why would we not choose Heaven?

There is still another way to be a true Catholic rebel in today’s world that is the thread which runs through all the other acts I mentioned: pray faithfully every day.  Start the day with a prayer of thanks to God for the blessings in our lives.  Pray for help and courage to face the trials the world throws at us.  Make the sign of the cross and pray over every meal, public or private.  Pray a daily Rosary and ask for the help and intercession of our Blessed Mother and pray with our families every night.  I can’t envision anyone seriously rebelling against the Church if they are faithfully committed to daily prayer.