but also to will what is right, so that I may not only be called a
Christian, but prove to be one." (St. Ignatius of Antioch) As this
holy man has proclaimed, to be a Christian one must not just
talk the talk but walk the talk. Words are to flow into action.
Being a Christian is not initially of our doing, but the grace of
God, given to us in Baptism. Living as a Christian comes from
the grace of God and our cooperation with that favor. But how
many of us are Christian in name and not in fact! It is a choice
that needs to be made consciously each day and manifested each
day by our words and actions, both in our private and public life.
Then, at the end of our life, God will recognize and
acknowledge that we were a seamless Christian both in name
and in action. As Jesus himself has said: "It is not the one who
says 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of God, but the one who does the will of my Father."