Hebrews 5:12-14 and 6:11-12
In the first verses of chapter 5, the author of Hebrews identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of what the Old Testament priesthood was supposed to be. Then, before he begins to explain this teaching, he stops to exhort his listeners or readers with words like these:
5 12 Although you should be teachers by this time, you need to have someone teach you again the basic elements of the utterances of God. You need milk, [and] not solid food. 13 Everyone who lives on milk lacks experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties are trained by practice to discern good and evil. …
6 11 We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
The basics of Christianity, he says, are like milk, the first sustenance of newborns and children before they are weaned. Adult Christians should be beyond that—not always worrying about the elementary teachings but becoming practiced at discerning good and evil as they live out their faith in all the varied currents of life. Christianity is not knowledge—it is practicing the imitation of Christ who lives within us since our baptism.
Some things to consider:
Am I stuck in a hum-drum, routine way of practicing my faith? Have I tried anything lately to get out of that? A new spiritual practice, perhaps a Friday fast or a commitment to a regular prayer time in the morning? I’m baptized and catechized, Christ is there within me—what can I do to wake myself up to his presence?
Am I receiving Christ’s life and power in the sacraments but finding myself reluctant to put that power to work? With Christ in me, am I listening for his urging to step forward with him in situations that I find myself in each day? Will I speak up for peace? Will I offer some help or aid—particularly for someone I dislike? Will I remember to forget their sins?
Do I click around online to keep up with debates about who the “real Catholics” are? Or do I simply concentrate on being one myself in thought, word, and deed?