Very Reverend Michael Demkovich, O.P.: Living Our Faith from the Deep

P EOPLE of G OD june/july2020

L I V I N G O U R F A I T H FROM THE DEEP may be able to console those the deep waters of life that who are in any affliction with the bountiful catch of Faith the consolation with which is found. Our Lord told his we ourselves are consoled disciples “Set out for the by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). deep” (Luke 5:4) and now It still is a challenge to be a more than ever we are being Christian even today. While called to live our faith bravely. martyrdom is real, here in As we hear more and more of New Mexico it seems unlikely. government over-reach, as we Regardless, we are called wonder when this embargo to bear witness to our Faith, on living will be lifted, we find mindful of God in Christ, who greater courage to live and is the source of our strength. to strive to live more fully.

By Very Reverend Michael Demkovich, OP, Episcopal Vicar for Doctrine & Life

I find that the trials of 2020 have made me reflect upon the Christian meaning of After the Resurrection the disciples were confronted by a profound question. “Why do you look for the living among F or the early Church it was not easy to be a Christian even after Pentecost. The bold preaching of the disciples touched the hearts of many, but it was not easy. Persecutions were regional at first but about thirty years after the Crucifixion, Nero’s imperial attacks in Rome were gruesomely common. The early martyrs bore witness to a remarkable sense of faith in God’s mercy. As Saint Paul declared, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we courage. Today countless women and men have shown us self-sacrifice and genuine care for those in harm, not counting their own risks and cost. It makes me think that the virtue of courage or fortitude really shines forth amid adversity and struggle. These challenges are not sought, but when they come, courage stands in the midst of it. When it comes to living life, I have learned that you cannot swim in shallow waters. You need to risk the bottomlessness of life, the unseen, uncharted waters of life. Fear makes us cling to the shore so we settle for a shallow life, socially, politically and even religiously. It is in the dead?” (Luke 24:5). The question confronted their fear and emboldened them to discover the Lord, risen in their midst. Courage is the capacity of faith and hope and love to live life abundantly. We must discover that same courage, seen in the early Church, to bear witness to the Gospel, to call one another to conversion of heart and for us to manifest God’s abundant mercy. The word courage comes from the Latin words for heart (cor) and to act (agere). In courage the heart takes action and empowers us to live bravely. Courage is born of love, and in difficult times love alone is the only sure remedy. Now we must

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act from our hearts. In all likelihood the challenges put before women and men of faith will increase. There is a dangerous rise of secular humanism in the body politic and as we see, religion will be a likely victim. However, as with the early Church, so too for us, it will not be easy to be a Christian if we fail to act from love, if we fail to find the courage that calls us into the deep waters of life.

Pope Saint John Paul spoke of this in his 2005 Message for Vocations. In a real way, we must now realize that our most fundamental vocation is to our baptismal call. If that primary vocation fades, all else loses meaning. “Put out for the deep” (duc in altum). We are reminded by the saint that “the command of Christ is particularly relevant in our time, when there is a widespread mentality which, in the face of difficulties, favors personal noncommitment” (#2). These are searing words that ought to burn in our hearts. If we fail to find courage, the trials and tribulations of our day will erode our call to follow Christ. The religious voice, a voice that is so essential to human flourishing, will be silenced. We cannot be naïve in the face of growing political efforts to keep religion in the shallows. No, we need hearts grown large so to love greatly and we must call one another to a new moment of mercy. Saint John Paul wisely told us “The authenticity of the Christian life is measured by the depth of one’s prayer, an art that must be humbly learnt ‘from the lips of the Divine Master’” (#2). The deep waters are that vast ocean of divine love.

If these past months have taught us anything, it is the critical imperative of our baptismal call to live fully and deeply the divine life entrusted to us. It is lived borne of the lessons sought in this plea “Lord, teach us to

pray!” (Luke 11:1). It was not easy to be a Christian back then, nor is it now, but we must live our faith bravely and boldly. The deep waters to which we are called are the depths of God’s love. The deep waters are found in our courage to risk living in that love. Here we find our comfort, our courage and our consolation. How we live that love is a lesson that must be “learnt from the lips” of our loving God. Be brave! Do not live your life in the shallows! Our world needs courageous women and men of faith who boldly love, who bravely live, and who fearlessly show love’s mercy. Duc in altum!