Today's culture strongly encourages us to live self-centered lives instead of Christ-centered lives, to serve Mammon instead of God. There have been periods of history in which the popular culture was actually Christian, when the current of culture actually helped people be true to their Christian mission. We do not live in a period like that.

For us to be "trustworthy in the small matters" of life, so that we can be trustworthy in the great ones, we have to make a conscious effort. We have to remember that the small choices we make each day either draw us closer to Christ or push us away from Him. If we get sucked into a gossip session, we are weakening Christ's Kingdom. If we go the extra mile to help a relative or a colleague in need, we are strengthening it. They key is to remember to create a habitual mentality that sees daily life as an arena in which we are battling for or against Christ. Another word for that habitual mentality is faith.

Our Christian Faith is more than just a list of beliefs; it is the way we see the world. Since faith is a virtue, we can help it grow by exercising it. One of the best ways to exercise it is by developing a disciplined prayer life. Taking even ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night to speak with Christ about what is important to Him and what is important to us does wonders for keeping our Faith in shape.

Today, let's ask Christ to strengthen our Faith, so that we can serve Him better, and let's promise Him that this week, we will do our part to keep our Catholic Faith in shape.