Be Christians of commitment and conviction, not comfort and convenience

By Kaelanne Jordan

mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org

The 25th Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) Caribbean Conference, held from Friday, January 9 to Sunday 11 at the Centre of Excellence, challenged participants to move beyond what one speaker described as “cheap Christianity” and embrace the full cost of following Jesus.

On Saturday, January 10, Fr Elveau Augustine from Dominica delivered a powerful address titled ‘Lord, make me like You,’ urging the faithful to take seriously the call to discipleship rooted in sacrifice, commitment and transformation.

“If you want Jesus to make you more like Him, you have to take the full package. There’s a trend where people take what they want, and they leave the rest behind. Well, that is cheap Christianity,” he said.

Fr Augustine framed his message around what he described as the threefold ministry into which all Christians are baptised: priest, prophet and king.

Explaining the priestly role of the baptised, he said sacrifice lies at the heart of Christian life. “By virtue of your Baptism, you are priests and priestesses, and we are called to offer sacrifices to God. Sacrifice goes deeper than praise and we dare not want to go there.”

To illustrate the cost of true imitation of Christ, Fr Augustine recounted the experience of actor Jim Caviezel during the filming of The Passion of the Christ. “He did not want Hollywood, he wanted Calvary.”

Fr Augustine detailed the physical suffering endured by Caviezel, including hypothermia, pneumonia, severe injuries, and lightning strikes, noting that the actor chose to endure hardship because he wanted to be like Christ. “He could have said I quit… he endured because he wanted to be like Jesus.”

Fr Augustine warned against a culture of convenience and comfort in modern Christianity. “We have become spoilt Christians. Christians of convenience and comfort, not Christians of commitment and conviction.”

The priest challenged participants to reflect honestly on their willingness to suffer for others. “Are you and I prepared to suffer? Do you want infirmities or do you want health? Do you want to suffer for others while they go on a cruise or Carnival…?”

He observed, “too many of us are peacocks and peahens. We are proud too bad.” He further added, “Jesus has too many believers but few disciples.”

Reflecting on Jesus’ call in Matthew 16:24, Fr Augustine said renunciation must come before carrying the cross. “And that’s what we don’t do,” he said. He warned if persons don’t renounce their old mind, heart, and lifestyle, “before long you will throw down the cross.”

“But when you renounce yourself, you are no longer yours. You belong to God and when you belong to God, He embodies you, He fills you, He empowers you and when He fills and transfigures you, now you can pick up the cross, you’re ready for action.”

Fr Augustine described discipleship as a daily act of surrender. “This is not acting, this is living… taking up the cross daily in total surrender to follow Jesus our Lord.”

Fr Augustine also addressed the prophetic dimension of Baptism, warning against hypocrisy and compromise. “Some people are schizophrenic Christians, they say one thing in church, outside they are raging devils.”

He cautioned that diluting the Gospel weakens its power. “When we compromise the Word, it loses its cutting edge…it does not convict anymore.”

Calling for integrity between word and action, he said Jesus embodied both perfectly. “Every word that Jesus spoke an action followed…To be like Jesus is to have both spoken and actions fulfilled.”

He concluded that the prayer “Lord, make me like You” is ultimately a plea for transformation, union with Christ and fidelity to God’s mission.

“It is a plea to be transfigured in His image, to be holy, humble, faithful and obedient…it is only in Christ and through Christ that we are saved.”