As Christians we are tempted to exile our faith to our private or personal sphere, losing its influence in public and political space. But the greatest disservice to Christianity is to confine faith merely to a private matter.

Faith in Christ is a relationship with the living God, a relationship which impacts every area of life. It transforms us through the power of the Holy Spirit, endows us with an evangelical joyful hope that is not meant for self-keeping, but is predestined to be shared with people of all beliefs, even with people who are deeply immersed in a secular way of life that seems to promote a kind of exclusive humanism.

We are all acquainted with the subtle pressure from many around us not to bring faith into public space. This comes as no surprise. In the words of Bishop Blasé J. Cupich, “modernity involves the emancipation of the State, economy, science from religion, each achieving their own and internal autonomy. So religion has to go to its own sphere, no longer over the others. While not being eliminated, it is side-tracked to a private matter, a mere legitimate right of every citizen”.

But our calling as practising Christians is clear: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

We talk faith to a secular world not by confrontation but by dialogue, by our confidence that the Gospel speaks to the deepest longings of the human heart

Restricting personal faith convictions to our private or personal sphere poses the danger that we are left with the phenomenon of believing and yet not belonging to the wider community. This contributes towards a decadence of the community spirit that invigorates the Church as the mystical body of Christ. “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many, are one body and each member belongs to one another.” (Romans 12:4-5)

When our Christian faith is disengaged from public space, when it is excluded from society at large and from the market place, then religion becomes ‘an ancestral memory’ or a resource for making funerals or for providing comfort in the face of some collective disaster. (Steinfels, Commonweal)

But how do we talk faith in a secular setting? We talk faith first and foremost by being present, just as Christ was present in the midst of sinners, the confused and the helpless. “He was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

We talk faith to a secular world not by confrontation but by dialogue, by our confidence that the Gospel speaks to the deepest longings of the human heart. We talk faith by trusting that Christ is present and working in the world and in people we are sent to bring to him. We talk faith by promoting unity within the Church so that it becomes a witness of justice and peace. We talk faith by favoring engagement and fruitful encounters, not by heated arguments or protests. As Pope John Paul II put it, “the goal of the Church is to make of the adversary a brother”.

Shall we fall short of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ out of fear of being persecuted? We must always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope we have, but this has to be done with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter:3)

Perhaps this ‘theology of public witness’ is best captured in a writing by Shauna Niequist (Bread and Wine): “When you offer peace instead of division, when you offer faith instead of fear, when you offer someone a place at your table instead of keeping them out because they’re different or messy or wrong, somehow, you represent the heart of Christ.”

gordon@atomserve.net

Gordon Vassallo is an accredited spiritual guide at the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality.

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