RBWords

     There is such a thing as "faith fatigue!"  I suspect we all experience it in one way or another in our efforts to remain faithful to our baptismal calling as Christians and particularly as Catholic Christians.  The head-winds of secular attractions and resistance to Christianity are strong.  Political and social causes that we find sympathetic can make demands that run counter to or erode the commitment to Christ and his teachings.  Why not just offer incense to Caesar and get on with life?  Why do we have to go to Mass or believe this or that just because someone across the Atlantic says so?  In the university environment that I have spent much of my years of pastoral ministry, I have often seen a dedicated and enthusiastic Catholic student "drop out of sight" because he or she found the moral and theological challenges too demanding in the face of peer behavior and secular-minded professors.  

     The words of the Second Letter to Timothy that I quote above are a real peptalk for faith-fatigue!  The fire is dying down because it lacks attention.  Other concerns distract the fire-stoker.  The Spirit is there but its power is being diminished by other attractions.  "Power, love and self control" seem no longer as important as consumer or political or social interests.  The appetites seem to make us self-enemies!  We just get tired of acting on the Word of God that we hear, and then stop hearing!  The "spirit of cowardice" comes in through hormone-friendly urges and an "everybody is doing it" attitude.  Needless to say, when we get the energy to go to Mass or other observances, are our leaders giving good example, especially in their preaching and lifestyles?

     Fatigue can strike any commitment, but when it strikes our faith, the long term consequences can be considerable in this life and the next.  We may need to fan and rake those embers if we don't want to be left out in the cold!!!  AMEN