How to lead a Christian life
(Fr. Maroun Moubarak, M.L.M.)
“How to lead a Christian life” by Fr. Maroun Moubarak, M.L.M.
The Family of Saint Sharbel
Spiritual Retreat: 4-5 February, 2006
Our Lady of the Mountain Monastery
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/kyf-aaaysh-msyhyty-alab-maroun-mbark-mrsl-lbnany-marouny
1. Preliminary definitions:
In this second dimension of Christianity we find several important and special elements:
In sum, when we talk about Christian life, we mean a complete project that encompasses all these elements that interact with each other and act in us.
2. The practical dimension of this topic:
This is what we all seek, because after we have set a solid theoretical foundation for our life, application becomes easy. The practical plan that I propose for Christian living, i.e., for “an experience of our relationship with God based on the Teachings of the Church and the action of the Holy Spirit,” can be summarized as follows:
a. First domain: the relationship with the Lord and the Church. Focus here is on faith.
In sum: I lead a Christian life when I “believe” in a genuine relationship with God and all that revolves around Him, and when I run my life based on this faith, and when I give this faith time and space in my life.
b. Second domain: Interaction with my neighbor and with my environment. Focus here is on love.
In sum, I lead a Christian life when I love my neighbor, be they particular individuals or society as a whole, and when I work to build up one and all.
Comes to mind here the Hymn of Love in Saint Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 13). Saint Paul celebrates the importance of love and then enumerates all its expressions which aim to build up the person.
This is what Jesus himself did, taught and lived. He was love incarnate who gave us life.
If we lead a Christian life, therefore, we share in the continuous incarnation of the Father’s love for His creation, so that His creation remains victorious over death.
c. Third domain: The relationship with self. Focus here is on hope. How I lead a Christian life by transforming myself.
In sum, self-transformation requires constant vigilance in holding ourselves accountable, in focusing on our goal, which is holiness, and in evaluating our work based on the tenets of our faith. Hence, it is crucial to examine our conscience and to keep watch over our internal life in order to reach our goal.
If I were to map out the dimensions of daily Christian living, I would do it this way:
These are the four axes of the Cross we carry and which saves our souls.
We cannot lead a Christian life apart from the salvation through the Cross which leads us to eternal happiness. This is what Jesus himself has ordained for us. Amen.
The Family of Saint Sharbel
Spiritual Retreat: 4-5 February, 2006
Our Lady of the Mountain Monastery
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/kyf-aaaysh-msyhyty-alab-maroun-mbark-mrsl-lbnany-marouny
- This topic is highly practical and should, therefore, be approached in a practical manner.
- This topic is vast, because Christianity itself is vast.
- This topic is difficult, because it is not easy to live with contradictions and difficulties. Christian Living requires containing all these challenges.
- This topic is urgently needed for all those who aim to reach lofty goals, chief of which is holiness.
- This topic is not limited to theoretical concepts and practical strategies, but gets “up-close and personal.” After all, it is the person that needs to be transformed, and not the strategy. Plenty of strategies are available to us, but what we need is to interact with them and be transformed by them.
1. Preliminary definitions:
- The concept of “life,” as discussed in a previous meeting, is expressed through two words in Greek: Zoë, which means energy and bodily vitality; and Bios, which means growth and development through the stages of life.
- The concept of “Christianity”: we often think of Christianity as a philosophy based on Scripture, Tradition and Magisterial teachings. We apply its tenets to our individual life in all its dimensions: our personal growth and development, our relationship with our environment, and the quality of this relationship, but we primarily apply them to our authentic relationship and interaction with God. Thus, we view Christianity mostly as a religion that helps us navigate our daily lives.
In this second dimension of Christianity we find several important and special elements:
- Experience: work that benefits and teaches a person new convictions.
- Relationship: establishing a deep communication that transforms a person’s knowledge, emotions and way of life. This relationship with God also affects our relationship with our neighbor.
- Teaching: this is no ordinary teaching but the teaching of the Church which the Holy Spirit inspires people to hear, understand and translate into rules of behavior.
- The Holy Spirit: He is our leader and interior Teacher who transforms us from within. He is our internal Mover who most efficiently guides our lives.
In sum, when we talk about Christian life, we mean a complete project that encompasses all these elements that interact with each other and act in us.
2. The practical dimension of this topic:
This is what we all seek, because after we have set a solid theoretical foundation for our life, application becomes easy. The practical plan that I propose for Christian living, i.e., for “an experience of our relationship with God based on the Teachings of the Church and the action of the Holy Spirit,” can be summarized as follows:
a. First domain: the relationship with the Lord and the Church. Focus here is on faith.
- Faith in God is more than just certainty of belief in God’s existence and his unicity. It is seeking his love and his fatherly presence that give life its motivation and meaning.
- Faith in all that connects me to God, namely, the Scripture that speak about him and through which He speaks to us. This is the reason why the Gospel is so powerful in illuminating our daily lives. What place does the Gospel occupy in my life? Do I allow it to enlighten me?
- Faith in the Church, which is more than just our personal interaction with, or appreciation of a priest and his competence, or lack thereof. The Church is the community entrusted by the Lord with continuing His mission and preserving an orthodox Faith in Him. It is the journey of the community of followers of Jesus who live with Him, through Him and for Him.
- Faith in prayer, in word and deed, because prayer opens the way for a good relationship with God, which, in turn, opens the way for my own personal journey.
In sum: I lead a Christian life when I “believe” in a genuine relationship with God and all that revolves around Him, and when I run my life based on this faith, and when I give this faith time and space in my life.
b. Second domain: Interaction with my neighbor and with my environment. Focus here is on love.
- Saint Augustin famously said: “Love and do what you will.” As we all know, God is love, and, that is why love is the greatest virtue, as teaches Saint Paul.
- The altruistic dimension of Christian living includes:
- First and foremost, forgiveness which comes from being filled with God.
- Self-giving, which is the highest form of love.
- Politeness, forbearance, and kindness.
- Open-mindedness, the source of peace.
- Patience, which allows for conflict resolution.
- Humility, i.e., being genuinely satisfied with spiritual wealth which helps me overcome my arrogance, and which guards me from being stubbornly attached to material things while being spiritually poor.
- Simplicity, which means foregoing prejudice and control over small matters, and instead, setting our sights to wider horizons and greater depths.
- Service which conveys true love for our neighbors and their upbuilding.
- Gratuitousness in daily interaction. This word comes from gratis in Latin, which means joyful giving that shuns all fear. Because we always seek what is most important, we relinquish and give away what is less important.
- Honesty. The “world” values cunning, but we, Children of the Light, can only embrace honest truth as Jesus teaches us. Whoever loves the truth devotes his or her life to it, because truth requires life to flourish.
In sum, I lead a Christian life when I love my neighbor, be they particular individuals or society as a whole, and when I work to build up one and all.
Comes to mind here the Hymn of Love in Saint Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 13). Saint Paul celebrates the importance of love and then enumerates all its expressions which aim to build up the person.
This is what Jesus himself did, taught and lived. He was love incarnate who gave us life.
If we lead a Christian life, therefore, we share in the continuous incarnation of the Father’s love for His creation, so that His creation remains victorious over death.
c. Third domain: The relationship with self. Focus here is on hope. How I lead a Christian life by transforming myself.
- Comes to mind here the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Chapters 5-6-7, which draws for us an internal map of Christian living that guides our interaction with the world in a good and constructive manner.
- The Beatitudes work within us by setting in us a solid foundation of faith. It is the charter of authentic happiness that defines the terms of our personal, internal fulfillment, and allows us to stand firm in the face of external challenges, and even to transform our environment.
- The Beatitudes are conducive to the internal wealth that helps us live the exigencies of our Christian mission, and to live by the teaching of Christ which elevates humanity.
- The Gospel prescribes the following personal practices:
- Charity that flows from a genuine heart
- True prayer and fasting
- Detachment from money
- Depending on God’s grace, because trust in God strengthens action
- Choosing the narrow path, because it will lead us to our ultimate goal: holiness.
- Honesty in word and deed in all our dealings.
In sum, self-transformation requires constant vigilance in holding ourselves accountable, in focusing on our goal, which is holiness, and in evaluating our work based on the tenets of our faith. Hence, it is crucial to examine our conscience and to keep watch over our internal life in order to reach our goal.
If I were to map out the dimensions of daily Christian living, I would do it this way:
- Relationship with God
- Relationship with my environment
- Relationship with my neighbor
- Relationship with myself.
These are the four axes of the Cross we carry and which saves our souls.
We cannot lead a Christian life apart from the salvation through the Cross which leads us to eternal happiness. This is what Jesus himself has ordained for us. Amen.
