The story is told of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson on a camping trip.
As they lay sleeping one night, Holmes woke Watson and said, “Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see.”
Watson said, “I see millions of stars.”
Holmes asked, “And what does that tell you?”
Watson replied, “Astrono-mically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. And what does it tell you?”
Holmes answered, “Someone stole our tent.”
Some people are great at speculative knowledge but when it comes to its implication for practical living, they score zero.
While it may be good to have speculative and theoretical knowledge about the diverse spheres of life, these become more useful when we can translate them into practical ways of living, bringing positive change in our lives and those of others.
Can I truly say I am a Christian, when I am really not making any effort to follow Jesus? Can I truly say I have faith when I have nothing to show for it?
To be Christian is to follow Jesus, and to never be ashamed to profess witness and celebrate this discipleship. Let us therefore be weary of proclivity to hang-on to our “denominational belongingness” rather than hanging on to Jesus and his message which gives meaning to these denominations.
It is not enough to be a Catholic, an Anglican, a Baptist, or belong to the Church of Scotland and other denominations. It may be just enough to be solid in our profession of faith in Jesus and the practical daily commitment to the demands of that faith.
Fr Robert Afayori
Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic church