Walking with Faith in God

Please God by the way in which we live

Happy Father's Day! The word “father” or “dad” evokes many memories. I think of qualities my father possessed, qualities that all good fathers have: love, commitment, spirituality, support, forgiveness, communication, spending time together. Good fathers help their children walk with faith. 

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God through a story, a parable. Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a seed you plant, the tiniest of seeds, and what you get is a plant bigger and better than you ever expected.

The Kingdom of God, in other words, is more than what we can ever expect or imagine, better than our wildest dreams! Heaven is the unimaginable come to life.

So, I would like to reflect on St. Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Corinth which challenges us to be courageous to “please God.” So, seek first the kingdom of God. Paul writes that we are accountable to God for how we live and behave. How shall we please God? St. Paul would likely advise us: by being men and women of moral character.

There’s a difference between character and personality. Our personality on the surface puts us in a category–cheerful, moody, excitable, etc. Character, by contrast, is singular and defines who we are, at the core of our inmost self.

Personality is emotional. Character is ethical. Personality is neither good nor bad. Character, by definition, is either good or bad. By character, one stands out from the crowd. That takes courage.

There is an everyday level of courage to which all of us are called. It manifests itself in the choices that each of us must make about the fundamental values or virtues by which we live. 

A person of moral character will choose fair-mindedness over bigotry, the dignity of the person over impersonal business or material advantage, a respect for human beings over the lust for pleasure, or power, or personal success, a willingness to go the extra mile to make something “just right” because it’s the better thing to do.

A person of character will speak up for what is right and defend what is fair, will take a stand on principle and conscience. A person of character will show courage.

People of character, in short, will try to choose what is true and good and right in all decisions, small and great, that affect family, work, career, and social life, the raising of children, relationships with others, even leisure time. 

Paul pleads with us to be men and women of courage, to “walk by faith,” to please God by the way in which we live and behave. 

Especially in light of Paul’s message, all of us are called to seek not what is “fashionable,” not what is expected by others, but simply what is right and true and good. And having found that: as the advertisement says, just do it.