The Cost of Living for Jesus

What does living for Jesus cost us in today's world? It costs a lot. We are living in a post-christian era, so to speak. There was a time when our culture (American) used to live inline with Judeo-Christian values. Not any more. Today, bad is good. Sin is non-existant. God is irrelevant to so many people, even to people who call themselves Christian on Sunday mornings and live blatantly sinful lives the rest of the week.

So yes, I do believe, that living for Jesus today costs a lot. I am just one little person on this planet (and getting smaller each day because I lost 16 lbs since January!). I'm really not anybody at all. I go to church. I work. I do errands and chores. I pay bills and try to follow the laws of church and society. I try to be nice to people. I go to confession when I mess up (which sometimes, is very often). That is pretty much my life.

Yet, in my plain old life as no great saint, no great politician, no great person in my own community, living for Jesus costs me a lot. From what I hear on EWTN, and in my prayer life, it will probably cost me, and every true Christian, even more in the coming future.

The question I ask myself is "Am I ready to have it cost even more?". I would like to say Yes. I am enthusiastic for Jesus, but I totally hate pain, so if this "costing a lot" includes physical pain, that is going to be a challenge for me. I would hope God's grace would kick in like it did for Joan of Arc as she was burning on the stake. Otherwise I am always up for a good healthy debate and for defending my faith.

I've even had moments in my life when I've been ridiculed for being a Catholic, or ostracized. Even to this day I encounter those things. I've been picked on for my faith more times than I care to remember. What really hurts is when the rejection happens within the Church itself. But these days, evil gets in just about anywhere, even within the walls of our beloved Church. These are tough times for the world - not only financially amd morally, but also spiritually as well.

It sort of feels to me that the heat is being turned up in the world, and I don't mean global warming, I mean spiritual warming. The battle is raging and that little creep downstairs is mucking things up as much as he can. He is attacking Christians on so many levels - can't you see it? I can. The more I learn to see with the eyes of faith, the more I can see it.

That is why we have to be "prayed up" and filled up with the Eucharist as often as possible. That is why we have to keep our souls as clean as we can. The cost of living for Jesus will only increase as the days increase....so we better start saving our spiritual pennies because the rainy days will become more frequent and the cost of being a follower of Jesus in this world will increase.

These are my thoughts for this evening. Jesus, Mary, and St. Michael, pray for us.