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Buenos Aires, Sunday, April 15, 2007

Father Oscar Pezzarini

A practicing Catholic?

Many times we listen to someone referring to himself as a “practicing Catholic”, or to others who say: “I'm a Catholic, but I don't practise”. Being a practicing Catholic means living a life as consistent as possible with the Faith we profess, which in short is the quest for the imitation of Jesus who is God's Revelation and the One we must follow. Today more than ever the testimony of Catholics is needed, of those who at every moment of their lives, in every place they happened to be, in the experience of their responsibilities and duties, show to others that living according to their faith is possible. I am sure we may then say there are “practicing Catholics”.

Many times we listen to someone referring to himself as a “practicing Catholic”, or to others who say: “I'm a Catholic, but I don't practise”.

At the beginning of this Easter Time I was thinking about these so often heard phrases, trying to find out what they really mean, in short, what we can call a “practicing Catholic”.

The first thing we notice is that when someone says he is a Catholic, but doesn't practise, he ususally refers to the fact that he doesn't normally go to Church, does not partake of the Mass, etc., by which we would conclude that who partakes of the Mass surely “practises” as a Catholic.

Actually I think that being a practicing Catholic is much more than partaking of the Mass, or doing his prayers, or “going to Church”, all of which is necessary in order to find nourishment and strength which in everyday life allow me to put into practice my Catholic Faith.

Therefore, I think that being a practicing Catholic is proved at every moment of my life, when I may go to Church, but above all in my normal tasks, in family, in my activities, in my studies, in my recreation, in my rest. We know that my presence at Church is worthless if thereafter my life follows a completely different way.

We see and listen to many people who display their Catholic “degree”, but instead of spreading it around we should think about each of our attitudes, our decisions, our words, our gestures, if they reflect that we belong to the Catholic Church, or if they many times just are “empty degrees” by which we even try to relax our own conscience.

Today more than ever the testimony of Catholics is needed, of those who at every moment of their lives, in every place they happened to be, in the experience of their responsibilities and duties, show to others that living according to their faith is possible. I am sure we may then say there are “practicing Catholics”.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
Provincial Superior of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Mexico

Father Oscar Pezzarini together with Fr. Leonardo Abregú makes us reflect on Saturdays from 8 to 12 AM (GMT-03:00)with "VENTANA A LA VIDA", the Don Orione radio program he conducts on FM PROVIDENCIA, 90.3 MHz together with some residents of the Claypole Cottolengo (Raúl Romero, María Laura Andrada, Alberto Zoroch, Américo Torres), with the production of Roberto Beluzzo and Ignacio Cavalli as technical operator. You can also listen to FM PROVIDENCIA by clicking here.

Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina, or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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