How deeply does our faith penetrate our lives?

This is a delicate topic on which to speak, as the only one who really knows how deeply our faith penetrates our lives is God, Who can see into our hearts and knows us more intimately than any other. That being said, I don't think it pointless to at least ask ourselves the question: are we just going through the motions, or are our lives truly God-centred?

The danger for 'religious' people is that we live our faith on the surface, we do what is expected of us to a certain extent, but never actually allow that faith to completely transform us. Perhaps we take some sense of satisfaction in knowing, for example, that we go to Mass when it is required of us, that we are regular in our celebration of Confession, that we give to charity, and that we generally don't do anyone any harm. But is that enough?

Like any real relationship going through the motions is unsatisfactory - for a husband to say to his wife, 'I love you' and that be it, in other words for it to remain words but not be backed up by actions is meaningless. And if those 'loving' actions are merely performed out of a sense of duty - I've got to do this - rather than out of a desire to do it, rather than out of a willingness to do it, then again it is unsatisfactory. Fair enough, better to do something out of a sense of duty than to not do it at all, but better still to do it with a real attitude of love and commitment - this is the perfect way.

This, then, is how our relationship with God ought to be: it ought to be motivated by real love, and not purely by a sense of duty, it ought to be authentic.

It was St. James who pointed out that for faith to be meaningful it has to find concrete expression in works, in actions, faith does not exist if it exists only in the realm of ideas, faith of its very nature has to be lived. If, then, our faith does not undergird our lives, if it is not transforming and challenging and shaping the way we live on a daily basis then it is unquestionably dead. If our faith is not constantly calling us to conversion, or if it is complacent and self-satisfied then it is dead. My faith is hollow and empty if I am not pushed every day to try to be a better person.

How important that we regularly examine in some objective manner, with the help of a Confessor or Spiritual Director, the path our life is taking, and whether we have adopted a way of life that treats superficially with faith, or whether we are listening to and acting upon the prompting of God's Holy Spirit, Who unceasingly spurs us on in the pursuit of holiness.