What has always appealed to me is a practical faith. While I do regularly sit down to learn, and spend much of my time pondering, I am not enamoured by the way our religion often seems to manifest itself, as something which is forever learnt, but rarely practiced.
I have no interest in the lecture circuit, providing edutainment to the masses. I do appreciate the weekly sermon broadcast online to make up for the absence of substance in my locality, but all too much religious broadcasting I find boring and trite.
What I am far more interested in is our practical application of what we believe. How does it actually materialise in our lives. In what way does it make us better people? In many cases, the people best able to show us how to actually live are not those who have set themselves up as teachers.
In many cases, the example to emulate may in fact be that of their elderly parents or grandparents, who arrived in new lands with nearly nothing. Though the educated generations that came after them may look back on them as ignoramuses, what many an outsider sees is great humility and fortitude.
I can think of many folk who came from elsewhere who fall into this category. To sit in their presence, witness to their hospitality, warmth and kindness will have a far greater impact on an individual than the rambling lectures of a celebrity sheikh. Just observe how they behave with their spouses, children and guests.
A practical faith should be of practical benefit, improving the lives of its adherents. We should be able to see the fruits of our labours. We are not judged by how many lectures we attended, or videos we watched, or podcasts we listened to.
But we will be asked about how we treated our parents, children, spouses, neighbours, wayfarers and the poor. We will be asked about how we behaved in trade and business, and our interactions with others, whether friend or foe. We will be asked how we conducted ourselves: did we walk upon the earth exultantly, or did we behave as humble servants of God?
A faith which is not practised is of no benefit at all. It must be brought to life in our lives, informing how we operate in the world, reforming our souls of the ills which might otherwise suffocate us. This the daily battle, which never ends, requiring us to strive hard to purify our hearts of every vice and infamy.
Our faith must be brought to life as something real, which steers us away from laziness, self-pity, dishonesty, anger, avarice and the burning desire of revenge. It is a force capable of reforming our own selves, if we allow it to. If we are to learn, let it be of that which benefits us and those around us.
Take our hearts: let’s strive to make them pure, taking advantage of these remedies freely dispensed to treat our souls of every trait and action holding us back from realising our true potential. May our practical faith be of practical benefit to us and all who encounter us. May we bring our faith alive.
Last modified: 30 August 2023
