It was Friday and last period of the day. I was growing fidgety in my seat as I waited for the bell to ring at 2:35. I was sitting in my religion class trying to think of what I should write about for the next issue of "For The Catholics". I was growing very nervous because I did not send my article in, but I was even more nervous because I did not have a topic. Finally, my teacher came in front of the class and started talking about what it means to be a prophet and follow God's will. It kind of got me thinking about my relationship with God, as well as everyone in my parish.
To be a prophet is to speak out against injustice, speak on behalf of God, and work for peace. Who does not want peace? To be a prophet means to go out of your way to correct the injustice and follow God's will. How many times have I walked by someone doing wrong and I did not see the injustice taking place right in front of me? It is our duty, as Catholics, to be prophets, each individually called by God, to be like Him.
No one is like us in the world. We can be twins, we can all look alike, we can have the same smile, and the same IQ. But, if you look at your finger tip, you are the only person in the world who can have your finger print. But what makes us different is what's inside of us and in our hearts. We can wear baggy jeans that reveal our under garments, we can wear the tightest of shirts, we can set a world record. But all the things we make the most important are the least important. Catholics try to avoid becoming attached to materialistic things and try to make God the most important. We believe that we are all special and unique, each created in God's image and likeness. We should not be judged with what we posses or what we look like on the outside, but what is in our hearts. Our personality and heart is what makes us different.
We started talking about The Seven Virtues, which are:
1) Faith
2) Hope
3) Charity
4) Fortitude
5) Justice
6) Prudence
7) Temperance
I would like to focus on three of my favorite: faith, hope, and charity.
Faith
We, Catholics, believe that we are never alone. We have faith that God is always with us, protecting and guiding us through the day. We love God and we believe that he sent His son, Jesus, to save us from sin. We believe in one God and that he created everything in his own image and likeness. We also believe in the Bible, one apostolic church, and the resurrection of the dead to a new life.
Hope
I think we all have been in a situation where we think that everything is just hopeless. You are in such a mess that you can't seem to bring justice into the picture and you are completely lost. Catholics always look to God for strength and hope. God is what we call "our rock" because we can stand upon Him and He is our ground. I like to think of him as our bedrock, which on top of the bedrock everything is built. On top of God, our foundation, we build our church. God is mighty and all-powerful. We look to God as a haven and bank of hope. We can look upon him in any situation and we know that he will give us hope that everything will change for the better.
Charity
Charity does not always have to be throwing a couple extra bucks in the collection basket at church, or going up to a homeless man on the side of the street and giving them a candy bar. Charity can be going out of your way to pick up a piece of trash or taking better care of our planet. You can donate your out grown cloths to a local orphanage or hand them down to a sibling or neighbor. Charity can be expressed in a lot of ways. What are some of the ways you are charitable?
Living out the Seven Virtues are ways you can live the life of a prophet.
So go ahead! What are you waiting for? Even if you are not Catholic, you can still live the life of a person who can make someone smile and you can feel rewarded. Even if you don't do it for God, you still can be a prophet for yourself.
So make someone smile, it does the soul some good. :)
Love,
-Dalygirl
