A reflection on Christian identity
I told him: “We are not better. We Christians are no better than you.” “Then?”, he replied, “what is the use of being a Christian?” “It’s no use,” I said.
And it is that I often find that when one moves to the border – the Church on the way out – it is uncomfortable for some and for others. Some want to put you on one side of the border; and the others to the other, regardless… because they need to classify, value, place.
The tension of being a Christian
Being a Christian belongs to “being”; I can’t get rid of it. And this creates tensions. Is there a way to be a Christian teacher, child, parent, friend…? Yes, but it’s not always obvious or sets me apart from others. There are excellent people, examples of “Christian” life without being Christian, and believers who, from the facts, you would never say. There are good and bad Christians… or, to put it another way, Christians also have bad moments.
The consistency of being a Christian
And what is a Christian teacher (a professional)? A consistent person; as is a father, brother, friend, artist, athlete… Christian. Coherence is a commitment to oneself and to others, and faith is an experience that gives us strength; a gift
The silent witness
The testimony is silent, as are the ethical reasons behind it. As in the famous text of the gospel of Matthew 25,31-46, which I read and re-read often; when at some point I get the petulance of believing myself a better person, but with a faith without actions, incoherent with the vulnerable, for the simple fact of feeling accompanied by God in the fullness of existence; like a postmodern Pharisee.
