Kateryn McReynolds

Piety (Being Christian)

Kairos XXXIX
Good afternoon! Today I am going to talk to you about being Christian.
Piety or being pious are some words that will be coming up a lot, so lets
find out what it really means. Piety, is the daily decision to accept God
friendship, as it was described in Isabellas talk this morning. Piety, in its
simplest form, is love: love of God, love of others, and love of oneself. It is
honestly and naturally living the life of a true Christian. Some other ways of
saying piety are
holiness, or being Catholic, or being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Well, as were about to recognize, there are several misconceptions of piety.
Please take a few notes about each of them in your journals. The first one is
the Holy Joe. He is very holy, talks a lot about religion, but is only acting.
He is unreal. The second one is the Pharisee: like the Holy Joe, she talks like
someone whos holy, but is hypocritical in her actions. The third
misconception of being a Christian is the mechanical or robot Christian.
She goes through the motions, but only out of fear or habit. She performs lipservice when she prays, instead of sincerely speaking and listening to the
Loving Father who made her. The fourth is the self-seeker. He goes through
the motions, for whatever reason with himself in mind. Hes selfish.
Now, please take a moment, and think: What does piety mean to you? What
do you think being a Christian is all about?
One of the most important things that we should all realize about holiness, is
that it is real. It is not something that only special people have. It is what we
are all destined to have. Holiness is actually the epitome of being a human.
In our own lives, it is being all of which we are capable. Being close to God is
being close to the Maker of all the earth, the Designer of the universe, the
Creator of every single person that ever lived. It is being best friends with the
All-Powerful, All - Knowing, King of Kings. As you can see, it is not only
good to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ--- it is the most worthwhile thing
anyone can do, ever. Piety is real, and it is worthwhile. That's something you
should not only take note of in your journals but engrave in your minds &
hearts! Because you're gonna want to remember that in the Exam called life.
Piety is real, and it is worthwhile. Another thing to remember is that

A truly holy person is one who lives with and for God and others, just as
Christ did. She is real with God. She knows herself. She knows her
motivations and she knows that God's will is greater than her own. Someone
who comes to mind when I think of this definition is Mother Teresa. In her life
on earth, she lived with God in the poorest of the poor. Remember when
Jesus told the young rich man that to gain eternal life he should give away all
of his possessions? Yeah, she took that seriously. She was of a well-to-do
family, but she left it all behind not just to help the poor, or give them
money, or food, or care, but to LIVE among them, as one of them. She took
them into her home for the sick, the dying and the orphaned, so that they
could live the rest of their lives knowing they were loved. This is what
holiness is all about. This is what being a Catholic Christian is all about.
A pious person is one who puts God and others in front of him or herself. This
person knows and accepts God as friend and lives her live as one beautiful
prayer to God. She has a genuine love for others and dedicates herself to
them before herself.
A most important person in my life who exemplifies piety is my mother. No
matter what shes been through, she has only grown stronger in her faith,
and more trusting in the Lord. In my life, she has always reminded me to
place all my TRUST in Him. She really has turned her life totally to the service
of God. She attends Mass every day, and the way she prays is so sincere.
She tells me of how draining prayer can be sometimes, and thats how Ive
realized what the right way to pray is. Id compare her way of praying as
really putting herself in the place of whomever she prays for. She truly
begins to feels their pain. And she does not just ask for help from God, she
gives thanks and praise and adoration to Him, because she knows the One
who gives her life. And over the years, Ive grown to understand even more
the selfless generosity she has through her prayer and her constant presence
for anyone who needs her. And I've grown to admire her more as I realize it.
I think that we all have someone like that in our lives. Someone who gives us
strength when we need it most, someone who understands us, listens to us,
or just inspires us, even from afar. That person shows what being a true
Christian is about. And that's what we are all striving for---to be Jesus to one
another. To make God present for someone else by letting them know that
they are loved. Sometimes we need to see Jesus in other people to give us
that extra strength to keep going.

St. Teresa of the Little Flower is famous for her lifes motto: do little things
with BIG love. A Christian shows love for others in daily actions, in little
things. Saint James constantly talked about this in his writings: Christianity is
an action, (What is Christianity again? -answer-) and piety is LOVE in action.
So our love has to manifest itself in our actions, or else its meaningless.
The qualities of a truly pious person are that they are: courageous/ happy/
humble/ and natural.
Remember, though, that being Christian is not easy. And Jesus told us this, in
the Gospel. It can be a serious daily struggle, like for those being terrorized
in their homelands for their faith, or for those being ostracized or labeled in
their communities.
It is not always easy in our own lives, but we must remember, that when we
fail, the important thing is to get back up and get back on track. This
getting back up again is worth everything--its what is going to make you
stronger, wiser and happier.
Dont forget that you wont be doing it alone, you are never alone. There is
so much hope in the world, and this is the hope that comes from our faith.
All my life, Ive been taught to be pious. Being proud of my Catholic Christian
faith is something my parents initially instilled in me. My mom, being one of
the most pious people I know, definitely helped to influence me in thisin
ways such as respecting others, praying often, and learning more and more
about God. In 3rd grade, I became part of my moms prayer group, the
Eucharistic Servants of Divine Mercy. The devotion to Divine Mercy has a
central prayer, and its 5 words long: Jesus, I Trust in You. I say this to Him
every difficult moment, every happy and grateful moment, and every time I
do, I feel something thats hard to explain-- I feel more fulfilled, more at
peace, closer to who God intended me to be.
When I was a little girl, in my early elementary years, I was really shy, and
kind of a push-over. But at the same time, I was really talkative if I had
someone to talk with, and I loved to be with people. During those elementary
years, I was verbally bullied by my peers--a lot. There wasnt a week I didnt
come home crying at least once.

The two best friends that I hung around were really mean. They would act
nice to me one minute, but the next they would suddenly start making fun of
me, or whisper about me, or just run away from me, laughing, so I was left
alone. And the other kids would usually follow suit. I had no idea why they
did this, and I didnt know what to do about it. I felt used and alone, like I
was unlikeable. Looking back, of course, we all see how foolish little kids can
be, and its not like this would happen to us now, or as adults. But, in a way,
it does. The feeling of loneliness and confusion of being intentionally hurt by
your peers, especially those who are supposed to care about you, is
universal, and not specific to any age. Its something that might happen
between co-workers, or family members, or even whole nations.
This was a trial in my life, but I saw later that God was allowing it to happen
to me so that I could become stronger. I turned in prayer to Him for comfort,
and returned in kindness and patience to those who hurt me. I didnt become
mean like the kids who were to me--I didnt want to be like them, so I chose
kindness, and chose to make other people feel how I always wanted to feel-loved. I became wiser and realized that its so much easier to mimic Jesus by
forgiving and loving as He did, than to go down the painful road of
resentment, grudges, jealousy, and hate. Those are some of the worst
feelings in the world to have, and they arent worth any of your attention.
Being a Christian doesnt mean letting people trample on you, or silence you,
though--its the complete opposite. It means standing up for the justice and
peace that you believe in. Real power is in looking someone whos insulted
you straight in the eye and sincerely saying, I forgive you. How many
people can do that? Its the easiest thing to either talk back to them the way
they did, or run away from the problem and stay quiet. But I realized it takes
a really strong person to get past the human nature and do what GOD
Himself does-- forgive.
During my middle school years, I was at a really pious time in my life. I went
to the chapel to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament everyday after
school, and Id just get so immersed in prayer that Id stay there for an hour
or more. No matter the troubles in my life, I felt a continual peace, and I
knew that because God was with me, no problem was too big.
In high school, though, I fell into a state of a kind of dullness. I began to lose
my previous zeal and fervor because I was adjusting to a new world. My
schedule became an excuse that blocked me from continuing to deepen my

love for God. I found that things of the world were crowding in on me, and I
was shifting my desires towards less important things.
When I realized what was happening, I realigned myself. I decided to control
my own life again, by giving Jesus the wheel. My favorite prayer is, Lord,
whatever your will is, let it be done. Not my will, but Yours be done. God
knows EXACTLY what Hes doing in my life--- and in your life! Ive seen the
proof with my own eyes, and if you just let Him handle your life, if you let go
and give Him the wheel, youll see some beautiful sites along the way. Just
trust Him.
I can tell you my own experiences, your parents can raise you with Catholic
ideals, and you can go to a Catholic School. But there comes a time when
you make the big decision for yourself. Its the time when you realize the true
importance of all that youve been taught, and you not only believe it with
your head, but you believe it with all of your heart and soul. For me
personally, this realization actually came at several different moments in my
life. And every time I experienced it, I fell deeper in love with Jesus Christ,
and with my Catholic faith.
Being Christian has made me who I am, and who I will be. It determines what
I do, how I respond to others, how I think, how I love, and its the same for
you.
This piety is so real, and so worthwhile. It is the reason we are alive! To know,
love, and serve God in the ways that only you uniquely can, by being who
you were destined to be---this is the meaning of life. This is being holy. Once
you put it into action in your life and just give yourself up to God, youll
realize its best thing you could ever do for yourself! I know I have :)