FAITHFULNESS TO ONE’S IDENTITY

One day a priest was visited by his physician. The priest had been suffering from back pain and had been taking some medicines without the prescriptions of his physicians. He had simply consulted “Dr. Google” on the internet. Upon knowing this, the physician got mad and began to deliver a sermon to the priest. The priest self-medicated. After a few minutes, the physician cooled-down and ended scolding the priest. And the priest commented to his physician: “Am I not supposed to be the one delivering sermons?” To which the physician answered back: “Am I not supposed to be the one writing prescriptions?”

Each of us has a role to play in this world; has a purpose to fulfill; has a vocation to live. These compose our identity. But truth be told, today, a lot of people suffer from an identity crisis, as a master or servant may possibly experience too (Lk 17:7-10) when a servant is served instead of doing the serving, or the master serves instead of being served. Today, some women want to be men; some men want to be women; others would like to be different. Some teachers, due to life’s difficulties, become at the same time businesswomen.

We ourselves are Christians and Catholics; adherers to Christ’s teachings and commandments. God formed man to be imperishable; in the image of his own nature, he made them. (Wis 2:23–3:9). And how many of us here are really faithful to this identity? By the envy of the Devil, death entered the world and they who are in his possession experience it. There are those who are Christians but are pro-abortion and pro-divorce; ideologies that are totally contrary to the teachings of Christ on the sanctity of life and marriage. There are those who are Catholics but pay no respect and attention to the teachings of the pope and the bishops; who never participated in their parishes’ activities; they receive the holy communion without confession; and yet they claim to be Catholics. They are Catholics but sinning has become their hobby; cursing has become second nature to them. It is not anymore an identity crisis for some. It has become a lost identity.    

How can we become faithful to our identity as God’s children?

We can be faithful to our identity if we remain close to the source of it. We can be constantly reminded of who we are if we are close to Jesus; if we are with God.

United with Christ, we cannot go wrong. We can never be misled, for Christ after all is the way, the truth, and the life; the fountain from which our very identity spring forth.