Go Be Holy...Not Weird

In a summer retreat program I often work, we have a saying that goes a little something like this: "be excited, not freaky." I've been reflecting on this very saying because it seems to be something that we in the Church - and don't worry, I am including myself - could be reminded of more often. The point of the saying is to remind the teens that as they go forward, as they encounter other people, not every person has the same experience of the Lord that they do, and that they should be mindful of that as they meet them. In meeting others, they should not shy away from their own convictions, but rather they should be mindful of where the other person is coming from and attempt not to scare them away.

image from: catholic-blame.com

Broader than just this retreat, though, holy people being strange is a weird thing. When someone gives his or her life to Jesus Christ, when that person decides that they are going to strive for holiness at all costs, that certainly means that they are going to be consecrated and in many ways be different than the world around them. What it doesn't need to mean, though, is that they are going to be weird; that's where I want to draw the line. In the eyes of the world, many things that we as Catholics do, say and believe are going to be seen as different and even weird by some, but that doesn't mean that we need to be weird people.

What I want to get at is that I think many times in our attempt to live out a holy life, we in the Church have isolated ourselves from the world. Since many movies, a lot of music, and a good amount of television shows say inappropriate things, we have decided to be completely cut off from anything not labeled "Christian." Since Christ is the most important thing in our lives (I truly hope that He is), any conversation that is not about our faith specifically is unimportant and really should be dropped at any second for a chance to preach the Gospel. When people we used to be friends with drop away from the Christian lifestyle we hope they're living, it is very important that we also drop them as friends.

Now, as a youth minister, I have to say that there are many times when I would counsel a teen (or adult, for that matter) to do some of these things. Sometimes, in order to truly devote yourself to the Christian life, you need to cut out a show or cut ties with some people; many times, you are called to preach the Gospel. What I don't think, though, is that we need to take this to the extreme it often goes.

If we, the Body of Christ, are to be His hands and feet, if we are to be salt and light to the world, if we are to bring Christ to the world, this is going to sometimes look like we're associating with people we shouldn't. Christ ate with prostitutes and sinners, and many saints throughout the centuries have shown us that it is very much in our call to do the same. And yet, it seems, in an effort to avoid a life of sin, many of us are scared to approach the culture. Then, in withdrawing from the things that the world finds as normal, we present to the world a character that is unapproachable and uninviting.

In these things, as with anything in Christianity, our life must have a balance. Between engaging the culture and withdrawing for the sake of our own morality, we most certainly must be prudent. What we also must be, though, is boldly willing to encounter people who need to be encountered, not just to convert them but to love them. If every conversation we have with someone not practicing Christianity is an attempt at conversion, we will continue to be ostracized and seen as strange people who are impossible to converse with. If, however, we are funny, engaging, and able to be approached, we will begin to break down walls that may have previously seemed insurmountable.

image from: broadsheet.ie/tag/cardina-dolan

Often I've heard people say that "you will find holy people who are weird, but they were weird before they were holy," and often it's been true. Too often, though, it was a decision for holiness and a misunderstanding of what it meant to be salt and light, I think, that made people weird. If you're just sort of a weird, quirky person, more power to you (and, let's be honest, we're all a little bit weird). We ought to go to great lengths, though, to make sure that holiness does not become equated with weirdness, for then the Gospel will continue to be ignored.

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