Creating that Balance

Almost three years ago, I was talking casually to my uncle when he noticed a book casually propped on my table. The book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, was highly recommended to me by a friend and has since caught the interest of many of my aunts and friends of my mother’s. Far from a self-help book (in fact the opposite of it), it is a beautifully written book about realizing one’s purpose according to how it was originally planned by God. It offers day to day readings, biblical quotations, points for reflection, and the like. When my uncle asked me why I was “into” books like that, I launched into the story of my renewed faith, how I came to discover God, and myself in the process. I could see that he was shocked at what I mentioned. He confessed to be “in-between” several self-help books, because he was still trying to find his “purpose” in life. In turn, I said that in my opinion, “self-help is no help at all”. Without recognizing the role of God, and His son Jesus in one’s life, one will always somehow feel lost and confused.

I can tell that my uncle was impressed at the “maturity” that I seemed to embody now. But I honestly did not want him to see that. I told him that it was not about me, not to give me the credit for what I seemed to have become. He then seriously warned me against being a “fanatic” about it, and proceeded to tell me that once upon a time, my family (dad’s side) was caught in a battle of religions. It was between my dad, a devout Catholic who knew exactly what his faith centered on, and another brother of his, who was a full fledged Protestant. They were both so deep into their religions that they were constantly caught in debate. The remaining members of the family watched from the sidelines. In the end, another one of the brothers lamented that religion was actually “breaking up” the family rather than “uniting” it.

My Protestant uncle argued that Catholics don't really read the Bible and therefore base their faith solely on the teachings of the Church and in religion or theology classes. This is one true reality that I see among Catholics- that very few really try to read the Bible in order to understand their faith. Nonetheless, it is not enough to believe in just the Word of God. It is not enough to focus on doctrine and continue reading the bible everyday without practicing the other dimensions of our faith. If the Word of God is “food for the soul”, there is also a need for us to feed others with it, and nourish ourselves with the Word together. There would also be a need for us to glorify that Word, to surrender wholeheartedly to it in prayer and worship. One thing that we have to be aware of is that these dimensions of doctrine (believing), moral (doing) and worship (praying) is not a step by step practice. There is a need for us to be simultaneous in living out these dimensions of our faith because they interact with each other in a very intrinsic manner. That is what would constitute a good balance of one’s faith: letting the three dimensions co-exist and interact with one another.

I personally believe that the Word has shown itself as the light of my world. However I know that it is not enough for me to consume this light on my own. I will have to act according to the direction given off by the light and help light the path of others as well. I also realize that I have to offer myself fully to that light and make myself an instrument of that light. In the end, it doesn't really matter whether one is a Catholic or Protestant, but rather one's personal relationship with God.

Balancing my faith would require me to love, among other things. I believe I am more than ready for that task. As with all the blessings that I have received, I give thanks for the wonderful and extraordinary way I have been tapped by God.