Sometimes we all need encouraging to step out for what’s right, and that’s perfectly okay, but sometimes we don’t get the encouragement from our peers. It’s something that needs to be addressed: The fear of speaking up.
We’re supposed to be loud, but we’re scared to be. It’s terribly ironic that with social media and the Internet, less people seem to be voicing their opinions than ever. Sometimes they don’t have opinions to start with, which really ought to change; some issues are important and need to be looked at twice. You won’t be a kid forever, and when eventually it’s time to start your own life, you’re going to find dilemmas where you need to speak.
Catholicism, in particular, can be difficult to speak for. It’s so rich that we can’t wrap our minds around it. For the untrained believer, it can be easy to stumble about the facts. When faced with the possibility of misrepresenting something so great as the Faith, I can understand why keeping quiet would be someone’s first choice. However, that can’t go on. The world is feeling the effects of fearful silence where, for the sake of comfort or ‘not offending’ someone, a self-proclaimed Catholic will say nothing at all.
I’m not saying to prattle off about Church even if you don’t know what you’re saying. To learn what you believe is necessary because, underneath it all, it is Jesus and His Church that keep the world going. If you don’t recognize that, if you can’t see it, then you’re missing out on something important.
The same God that helps birds take flight and gives the ocean her power has involved Himself in the little details of our lives, as well. You can’t escape Him, but you can choose to not see Him—and that’s when things fall apart. He’s too big to be ignored, and we have the sweet right to speak of our beautiful Savior. People need to hear it!
I can understand the reasons why a person would feel scared of speaking up for such a complex Faith. I’ve feared multiple times that I would forget something important and mess up. We could feel shame for the simple fact that we’ve been quiet for so long, and suddenly we want to use our voice. Our hearts will ask: “What right have I got to be a soldier of the Lord, after having let worldly things distract me for so long?” To that, I have to say, it’s never too late to come back. Then there is a fear of mixing theological fact with emotions, which often differ dramatically.
All of these issues need to be prayed about and fixed, but keeping silent in the face of darkness is not right. All of us are called out to speak in some way, to be light to the world.
Sometimes we have to speak for the sake of hearing ourselves. Spiritual identity can be hard to find, when our daily lives are saturated with worldly things. If we don’t sit down and remind ourselves of who we are, guess who’s hurting most? Your world will become confusing and like a maze. We have to let the Holy Spirit guide us through every decision we make. As humans, we will all go through periods of spiritual dryness. It’s a test, and often the only person you’ll hear talking about Jesus is yourself.
We needn’t worry about saying something perfect about God as long as we’re speaking about Him. That’s all we need–the little nudge that makes us think, “What if I got this wrong?” The doubt that makes us research and learn more things in the meanwhile. For the sake of our own happiness, we cannot be silent about the Creator. It’s like swimming in an ocean and denying that it’s there–you’ll drown.
God doesn’t mind us forgetting the hard facts. In fact, He is a parent–He loves to teach us. We need only acknowledge Him and ask. If we know we’ve drifted, the Lord can pull us back, but we can’t take a hand if we deny it’s there. That takes the humility of opening our eyes and admitting we can’t walk alone in the dark.
If the Spirit is nudging you to say something, do it. So what if you get something wrong? To be corrected can be a gift sometimes. You learn things about yourself that you wouldn’t otherwise. You never know who might need to hear what you’ve got to say, though, so never keep it inside.
3 thoughts on “Speak”
True indeed! the more you speak about God, the more you feel you need to be prepared. And that is probably the challenge today, not just speak up from what one feels, but from what we have as knowledge inside the Church. Every day I read more and learn more. It makes me realize that I was wasting my time before not learning more about my Faith and Church.
Almost a year ago at a family function, my sister who’s a nurse spoke very critically of the Catholic Church in regards to the health mandate. I found myself arguing with her in a very heated discussion, defending the Church as best as I could. We had a slight falling out at that point, but we managed to get together a couple of times this summer. Then she asked to take my little 4 year old out for ice cream. I thought it was innocent enough, until I found out afterwards that my sister took my daughter to a wiccan store during this outing. There she bought my little girl some stones, a bracelet and necklace laced with rocks. I was so angry with my sister because of her betrayal. My little girl told my husband and me that “Auntie took me to a scary Halloween store”. I e-mailed my sister and told her she will never be allowed to take my daughter out on her own again. I told her that we can get together for holidays and on other occasions, but she will never be allowed to be alone with my little girl again. This was back in July and I haven’t heard a word from my sister since. There has been no apology from her. She’s never apologized to me for anything my whole life, so I don’t expect one for this either. But the fortunate thing is I’ve never regretted standing up for the Catholic Church during our arguement, and I don’t regret laying down the law when it comes to protecting my daughter. I know I made the right decision. I have to choose God over my sister. If I have to sacrifice my relationship with her for choosing God, so be it. I am at peace with the choice I’ve made.
I write here with some trepidation, as my 1 previous comment on this website was not well received (although was respectfully dealt with). I am a UK liberal Catholic, and I have always considered us to be balanced and pragmatic people who value the individual conscience and attribute worth to people’s individual autonomy.
What I want to bring up for discussion is the idea that even if a person, like me, is attracted to reverting to traditional Catholicism (I’m thinking Tridentine Mass) it is HARD to embrace all that must come along with those beliefs, if you have lived a lot of your life without obeying those principles.
I have been married for 5 years to a Protestant-born atheist & we are both in our 30s and it would be difficult to make such profound changes now. Friends have said it would be unfair on my husband, and he has said he would unfair to me.
I would love to hear from other reverts who lived their early lives unencumbered by Catholic prohibitions, and how you dealt with it when you decided to go back. And if you had non-Catholic partners, how did they cope with it?
Sincerely interested (while expecting to be shot-down)
Maddi x