Why do I need Christian maturity?
The lay apostolate requires more than enthusiasm.
Many people begin with good intentions. Fewer persevere when the work becomes difficult, repetitive, misunderstood or unrewarded. Christian maturity brings stability, wisdom, prudence and fidelity. It is the actualisation of being a Christian: coherence between what we proclaim we believe and how we live our life.
Once you understand that being a Christian is not a label but a life, you understand that Christian maturity has nothing to do with “feeling spiritual”. It is the increasing conformity of the whole person to the life, truth and Will of God revealed in Christ.
In concrete terms, Christian maturity means:
living as a Christian,
thinking as a Christian,
acting as a Christian,
relating as a Christian,
working as a Christian,
carrying responsibility as a Christian.
It is the integration of the whole person in Christ, so that we can say with the Apostle: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20
When we understand this and live accordingly, we do not merely appear religious, reducing Christianity to identity, affiliation, language, or institutional and spiritual performance. Instead, there is substance:
moral seriousness,
coherence,
embodiment,
responsibility,
imitation of Christ,
integration of faith and life.
Christian maturity comes with spiritual maturity. This is separate from “religious performance” or “spiritual aesthetic”.
As the Catechism teaches:
“Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: ‘For old age is not honoured for length of time, or measured by number of years.’ Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.””
When religious language is disconnected from life, spiritual identity is disconnected from truth, belief is disconnected from action, and the way we appear is disconnected from the way we are behind closed doors, our ability to witness to God weakens.
After all, actions speak louder than words.
