Archbishop Charles Chaput joined Morning Air to speak about his new book Things Worth Dying For, and what it means to be a rebel for Christ.
“It’s obvious from reading the Gospels that to follow Jesus is to be a revolutionary. He was perceived that way by the people of His time … this made Him a danger to those in charge so they rose up against Him,” said Archbishop Chaput.
He says that with bad things happening around us in the world, it’s important to turn our eyes to sources of goodness and hope.
“To be a Christian today requires a bigger commitment than it did even ten or fifteen years ago. And so those who are faithful Catholics really are a source of hope for me. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for your Faith today and there are many people who do that—and there are many young people among the faithful Catholics,” he explained.
On the other hand, he pointed out that over the past decades, many virtues have almost disappeared from our society. One that he specifically pointed to was the virtue of chastity.
“We have seen a gradual erosion of the classical understanding of what it means to be a human being, what are the values of human beings, over the last fifty years,” said the archbishop.
He invites all of us to reflect on this question: What do we love more than life? What is worth dying for?
In taking an honest look at our lives we can see the things that we are living for. What is the most important thing in your life? Where are your priorities? Are you living for comfort, pleasure, food, sports, entertainment, work, etc.? Or are you living for Christ?
It comes down to love and what that word really means. The culture might tell us that love is a feeling, or dependent on how much we get out of it. But as Archbishop Chaput says, “Real love is all about sacrifice. Jesus told us that there’s no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Well to lay down one’s life doesn’t feel good, it requires a great deal of generosity and a great deal of sacrifice.”
What do you love? What are you willing to die for?
Listen to more of the conversation:
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