Real Christians

I wonder sometimes what it is to be a Christian. Am I a Christian myself? I go to Mass and would miss it very much if I didn't. I like my local parish. I have always had a sense of religion. I got a lot out of religion class at school......

Then I see others around me, people that I admire very much because of the kind of people they are and the way they live. They seem, however, to have no connection with religion at all. Are they the real Christians? Perhaps, its not the people who are running to Church all the time who are the real Christians..... I know that love and compassion and being honest in our dealings with others are important, in fact, extremely important. A religion that does not help people to be like that is a religion not worth not having. Sometimes my religion cushions me from the real challenges of dealing honestly, openly and lovingly with people. Is it then perhaps just a habit I have got into and it suits me to continue with it?

I often hear people say that they don't get anything out of Mass and I wonder what do I get out of it. It can't just be a habit. I think I find a real wisdom in what I hear at Sunday Mass especially in the readings and sometimes in the homily. As well as that I like the idea of not being alone. I'm not the best in the world at praying. But I have those times of prayer when I know that it isn't just me, talking to myself. God is there and I am not alone. I could be very selfish, left entirely on my own. But belonging to a Church helps me, as far as I can see, to come out of myself, to think of others and to go that step further to meet God.

I know the people around me that I admire have their own inner motivation and we talk about that sometimes. They like to be good people without the label of Christian or any other label. But I can't help feeling that being a Christian is more than a label. It seems to me that it means leading a good life because of Jesus Christ. That too raises questions, Can I not love people just because I love them? Why does it have to depend on a God, or anybody else to explain it? I find those questions difficult. I want my inner motivation to come from God, to be directed and strengthened by God. I want all the things I hear about and read about on Sunday to happen to me.