Being Better

As Christians we have the obligation to create lives that are truly right and just. Our hearts are to be directed toward salvation, toward serving God. Each day we are asked to remember to give thanks at all times, in all places.

Attending Mass gives me an opportunity to review my life, some of my choices, current and past. There are times when I do not want to talk before Mass. All my sins sprawl across my brain, across my heart; I feel exhausted, lost. Prayers are remembered, old hopes are remembered. This is often a motionless moment. Doing inventory of misdeeds is necessary for me as I try to become a better person, a better Christian.

It is easy to blame the secular world for all of my mistakes. It is easy to discover a weakness, a place where we forget to put God first, a time when it is more convenient and easier to be selfish, rude. How easy it is to become uncharitable, inhospitable, unsympathetic. How easy it is to use profanity, to act like a tyrant, to forget that I have a heart and a soul. It is easy to find your life turned inside out, upside down. Disobeying God’s laws is easy, there are moments of rationalization.

I remember the need to be good. I remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I remember the desire to fill my heart, mind, soul with goodness, holiness, kindness.

So I am still a little uneasy with the thought of confession. But, I can see the need for it; I have heard the benefits of it. There are many moments in my life when I need to take a break, take time to look at myself and ask myself a couple of questions. There are moments in my life when I am glad to be a Christian, glad to be Catholic.

Being good, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ requires making a decision, making a sacrifice, making myself accountable for both my triumphs and mistakes, making myself learn from each experience. Being Christian means that I am willing to give God thanks and praise each and every day of my life.

I try to learn a little bit more each day about how to love and serve God.

Being a good Christian is an ongoing struggle which hopefully will become easier each day. The aim is to be pleasing in the eyes of God; to do God’s work willingly, freely; to be a humble, loyal servant to God. The aim is an honest piety filled with compassion and love.