- Matthew 10:26-33
How comfortable are you sharing your faith with others? For many Catholics, we are fine with talking about religion with our close friends and family because we know what they believe. We may even be fine discussing faith with those we know are Christian or religious because we feel that we won’t be judged for our beliefs. Too often, though, when we get outside of those situations we leave that part of our lives at the door. Whether it is because we are uncomfortable talking about faith, fear being judged or ridiculed for what we believe or simply hold to the belief that it is impolite to discuss religion, we fail to share that part of our lives with those around us. Too often it can seem that we are ashamed to be too “Catholic” in public.
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus cautions us against this type of mindset. We should not hide our faith in God and love of Christ. No, we should be sharing it with all that we meet. In the words of the Gospel, we should “proclaim [it] on the housetops.” We would think nothing of telling people about our families or our jobs because they are an important part of who we are as people. We share details of our hobbies, our likes and dislikes, and what we think of the latest movies, books we’ve read or restaurants we’ve eaten at. If we can share these details with others, why should we be afraid of sharing that which should be at the heart of all that we do. If Christ is truly the center of our life, we should be burning with a desire to share Him with everyone.
Now does that mean every conversation we have needs to revolve around our Catholic faith? No. What it means is that when the opportunity presents itself we should not shy away from talking about our faith. We have all had times where, in the course of a conversation, it would have been natural to talk about our faith and yet we’ve neglected to do so. It is these moments when we are called to fearlessly proclaim Christ’s love. It means we should constantly be aware that these moments can come at any time and be watching for them so as to not miss them. If we do this, we can be assured that Jesus will reward us when we get to heaven. But this assurance also comes with a warning, for Jesus tells us “whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” It’s a choice we each must make and a choice that is entirely ours.