Shout the Gospel from the rooftops.

After an enjoyable (but much too short) weekend visit with my family, I thought I would start the new week off right with another quotation that could prompt some thought and meditation profitably meditate upon over the next few days. Last Monday, I invited readers of this blog to reflect with me on Alexander Schmemann's definition of a Christian. This week's meditation comes from Bl. Charles de Foucauld, who sought to embody the values of contemplation and service by living as a hermit in the Algerian desert and offering hospitality to passersby. Charles de Foucauld summed up the Christian vocation in these words:

Our entire existence, our whole being must shout the Gospel from the rooftops. Our entire person must breathe Jesus, all our actions. Our whole life must cry out that we belong to Jesus, reflect a Gospel way of living. Our whole being must be a living proclamation, a reflection of Jesus.

Like last week's words from Alexander Schmemann, Foucauld's words challenge us to examine the way in which we live out our baptismal commitment. If you consider this quotation within the context of Charles de Foucauld's life, it's clear that his call to "shout the Gospel from the rooftops" is not a demand that we all become loud and zealous public preachers. Rather, we are called to bear witness to our faith through quiet yet profound acts - acts of "living proclamation" that "reflect a Gospel way of living."

This week, I hope you'll join me in reflecting upon the meaning of the above words in our own daily lives. Do my actions truly "breathe Jesus" and reflect the way of the Gospel? In my own way, how can I make my life "a living proclamation, a reflection of Jesus"? AMDG.