Devotion

St. Louis IX

Devotion has become less of religious motion in modern times. The kind of devotion I am speaking of is the original definition, "religious worship, religious observance, prayers." There are plenty of people who live according to the contemporary definition of devotion, "love, loyalty, enthusiasm for a person, cause, or activity." When we hear word devotion, the image of sports fans, Star Wars fans, and father or mother devoted to their family comes to mind. But this was not always so. Devotion was once measure of someone spiritually, an outward measure to be sure, but one nonetheless. In today's churches one has merely to attend Church consecutively for a month or even years and they are considered devouted. But this measure is according to the modern definition, are these loyal sheep praying, attending religious worship, and observances? They will cry, "aye! Every Sunday." Ahem, devotion denotes beyond the standard Sunday mass or service, it means one is noticed to be at prayer meetings, donating to Christian causes, spending private time with Lord at chapel or in your home, and more.

There were men and women known for their devotion to the faith. One was King Louis IX, better known as St. Louis. This French Monarch had passionate devotion to Christ, His Church, and demonstrated this devotion through two Crusades. Louis was man of piety, people knew he was sincere and authentic in his pursuit of the Narrow Path (Matthew 7:14). He is one of the only monarchs to ever be canonized by Catholic Church, and his legacy of leadership and loyalty to the Lord is inspiring. It is a shame we cannot say the same for many leaders today. Many claim to be Christian, but there is no outward devotion to give us glimpse at their connection with God. While Donald Trumps say of Bible, "It's a great book," how many are actually reading it, and spending time in prayer? Religion has become bad word in the world today, it has become synonymous with backward, bigoted, and bereft of reason. All these claims are lies, but if religion has been reduced to these definitions by the world, how much more so devotions to the only religion that is true, Christianity.

We live in world where debauchery, depravity, and darkness is praised, and dignity, devotion, and decency are demeaned. While a spectacle is made of the sinful, the saintly stand in shadows. Scandal and sex make the big screen, while spirit and strong morals are slighted. But this comes at no surprise, for it is written, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter," (Isaiah 5:20) and "But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). So while world around you is devoted to their diversions and fantasies, stay devoted to Light, to Jesus Christ. Do not fear the times, but stay devoted as disciple of Christ. Hear the call of St. Paul, "Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 2:3). Do not hide your devotion, lest you be denied by Christ, "I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God's angels." (Luke 12:8-9, NIV/NLT). Devotion is public and private, but if you only do it in private and no one can say of you, "Oh yes, he or she is a devoted follower of Christ," then you have failed. I wonder, does your social media reflect your faith? Does your facebook, twitter, Instagram, snap chat, google+, and other social media profiles proclaim Jesus Christ? It is time to think about this, for the hour is late, and the time short.