....faith and life....life and faces

For  a Christian,  everything  becomes  the  "Estate  of God" (Teilhard de Chardin),  in  which  he  continues the work of  the creator responsibly and self-confidently. In this way, he contributes to the improvement and unfolding of the world. From this perspective, he tries to answer man's questions about war and peace, guilt and forgiveness, how to establish a society reflecting the dignity of man and a just distribution of the earth's riches.

Christian  life  is  based  not  only  on the sum of human experiences, but also on the encounter with God. What matters is the Christian's contact with God; that he looks at Him, listens to Him and acts accordingly.

The command of reality

All  right,   but  where  do I actually  encounter  God?  And if we exclude  Revelation  for  the   moment,   in   what   way   does   He   speak  to me? In mysterious inner  voices  or sudden enlightenment? In other extraordinary events? Not at all! Most of what  God  has to say to us, we learn in a very concrete way through the reality of life.

Trivial  everyday  events -  this  is  the  language  of  God in the world. Man does not  dwell  in  a  vacuum.  Endless numbers  of different causes and effects carry and  connect  us  with  innumerable  other  beings.  This  reality  requires from us correct  answer  and  responsible action and it is God who addresses man in this way.  This  is  what  we  mean  when  we  talk  about  "the  Law  of  Nature":  the principles of creation, the natural rules of morals and ethics.

The  Charter of Human Rights is a catalogue of items which everybody can  perceive  and know and therefore is obliged to adhere to. It gives people the right to live,   the  right  to  freedom,   work,  education, information;  the right to conjugal community,  freedom of religion etc. These rights come from the "nature" of man, which is willed by God, who could have created us in another way.

These  norms  are  beyond man's arbitrary decision. If a person disregards them, he becomes guilty. Therefore the Church cannot leave the fundamental question of human rights to scientists, philosophers and politicians. She not only claims to have a say in these  matters,  but  sees herself as the "guardian" of these values and rights established in creation.

Disturbing   this   order  is  an  attempt  upon  the reality of life; it is unnatural and will  be  revenged  sooner  or later. The consequences are damage and catastrophes: faithlessness destroys families, oppression causes revolutions,  aggression. Lack of  self-discipline  leads  to  self-destruction.  The exploitation of nature and pollution of the environment reduce the scope of our life.

"For us, the question is not whether Christ ever lived;  we want to know: where are the Christians and what do Christians do?" (a Marxist)

Today we are realistic. We want facts and check every event critically. We believe only what we see. But God cannot be seen and Christ lived almost 2000 years ago. However, people who believe in God and bear the name of Christ can be seen.  And looking at them,  people today want to be able to get an idea of what Christ is all about.

According to statistics, we are generally still a "Christian people". But these numbers don't answer the question of how many of us take our faith seriously and really lead a Christian life. A Christian environment and tradition are for many the only weak support to their faith. In the event of a wedding, the birth of a child or the death of a relative the "Certificate of Baptism" might still come to mind. "We live in pagan country with a Christian past and remnants of Christianity" (Karl Rahner). But at what point does one really become a Christian? After Baptism and upon belonging to a church? Does regular attendance of church service make one a Christian? Or an effort to live  as Jesus might have lived in our imagination?

New perspectives

The beginning of  Christian life comes from God; it is His gift.  A person who starts to believe meets God and new dimensions open up for him. He is no longer the result of coincidence in blind evolution; he is not useless and unimportant. A  believer  recognizes  in  God  not  only  the  creator  of  the world, but the Father who knows and loves  His  children.  In this view,  many things change their value.  The relationship with  God gives a new perspective to life and may even turn life upside-down. The person begins to apply norms other than the people around him. Things which used to appear confusing and contradictory align and orient themselves towards a living central point. Life and the world become clearer.  Man's  self-understanding  improves as coherences become more visible.

The Christian - a realist

The Christian's orientation is tied to reality, complete reality and not only a part of it. A Christian's horizon is not limited to what he has tangibly before him; not even in the case of death. This orientation does not make him unfit for the world; on the contrary: He comes to a more profound understanding of himself and the world he lives in. He sees everything with the "eyes of God" and accepts God's concept of man and the world.