The Catholic Wife - Walking the Walk

Walking the Walk (January 20, 2008)

by Rachel Hayden

I try to live my life each and every day with my heart toward Heaven. Prayers, thoughts about Jesus, and contemplations about the faith permeate my mind throughout the day. Part of living life as a Catholic woman is doing that very thing – living life AS a Catholic woman, not as a woman who happens to go to a Catholic Mass on Sundays instead of over at the non-denominational church. However, many of us often hide our faith from the world. The argument is often as follows: “It is easier to just not talk about it than to explain why Catholics fill in the blank here.” Catholicism is beautifully complex and because of that, many non-Catholic Christians, as well as many practicing Catholics, do not understand it. The Mass, Eucharist, Sacred Tradition, the sign of the cross, the Pope, the Saints, honoring Mary, Holy Days, Ash Wednesday – these are just some of the things that are uniquely Catholic. Our faith is so very rich! To be immersed in the faith is to be immersed in the very heart of Jesus Christ. But so often, people go to Mass on Sunday and then don’t think about their faith lives again until next Sunday. It’s not a surprise that secularism, abortion, racism, pornography, and the other evils of today’s world seep into our homes and poisons our minds.

I challenge all Catholic women to do one “Catholic” thing a day – pray the rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, spend an hour in Eucharistic adoration, pray the litany of the saints, read a Catholic apologetics book, listen to a Catholic podcast, put a holy water font by your door and bless yourself as you come and go – whatever! By doing this, we remind ourselves that Jesus is the center of our lives and is within us always. This very real presence of Jesus in our daily lives helps to grow our faith in amazing ways. Being a Catholic woman in the 21st century is about more than attending Mass or helping out at fish fries. It is about being a faithful sister in Christ, daughter of God, and wife of man. We must equip ourselves with knowledge when well-meaning but misguided people question us on our beliefs. And what better way to prepare than to “walk the walk?” The more we immerse ourselves in the faith, the more we understand it and appreciate the true beauty of it. And while we are still surrounded by the indulgent trappings of 21st century living, our faith can become a shield. Christ is the most precious gift – why do we so often deny the light and let the darkness in? After all, Psalm 21:1 says “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” The Lord wants to bless us richly if we only ask and more importantly, listen to what He is saying. He left us a faith on Earth that is plentiful and exquisite – why not allow it to be part of your daily life? Be proud to call yourselves a Catholic, my dear sisters in Christ. You should not be afraid and you should not be ashamed.