Christianity is about Christ. Accordingly, for me, being a Christian-Existentialist is about making one choice: What would Jesus do?
We’ve all seen the bracelets with the letters “WWJD” on them, serving as a constant reminder of how to live a blessed life. It’s pretty simple, right? Well, if it is so simple, then why don’t we all live like Him, all the time?
I can think of just one little thing inside our heads which requires constant mastery in order to live out the Christian-Existentialist ideal — our tongues. We’ve seen men and women tame the wildest of beasts, but to live one day with a tamed tongue… not so easy. So, what can we do? Remind ourselves of the Christian-Existentialist motto: WWJD.
Whether speaking with the Samaritan woman or allowing blind men to see, Jesus did everything for the glory of God. He used every situation to point out where our Father fit in — how we could make room for Him in our thoughts and actions. Thus, let us tame our tongues of pride and turn our words to the attention of our own strengths and weaknesses as an opportunity for praises to our heavenly Father.
The other obstacle? We’re afraid to change our lives. Jesus prayed before and after just about everything He did. So, we’re to do the same. But it doesn’t stop there. Prayer leads to a deeper love of Jesus and His mother, which leads to closer examination of the lives He has given us, which leads to true contrition, which leads to a desire to amend our lives. So, what to do? Ask WWJD. Even Christ did not want to change His life unto the path the Father had chosen for Him, as Jesus makes clear in prayer at Gethsemane. However, Jesus overcomes His own fear by placing His trust in the Father and His will. Thus, let us take our own desires out of the captain’s seat, allowing for the Lord’s will to be the rudder in all streams of our lives.
In the Bible, you’ll find all the elaboration needed any time you find yourself choosing to question life like a Christian-Existentialist: WWJD.
(Goldy, 20, is a political science and history student at the University of Toronto.)
Living the WWJD motto
By Faith Goldy, The Catholic Register
Student. Parent. Optimist. Cynic. Romantic. Nihilist. It seems in today’s world that how you label yourself presupposes how you ought to carry out your daily routines.
So, when asked how I brand myself, the answer for years now has been simple — I am a Christian Existentialist. The seemingly juxtaposed natures of the two schools of thought often leave people confused, with nothing more than a question mark. Here, I will reconcile my thoughts and provide some clarity to those who have heard them before.
Existentialism — for those needing a quick refresher of past philosophy classes — is a 20th-century school of thought that assumes people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves. As my high school history teacher often put it, “it’s about taking a leap of choice.” This branch of philosophy does not specifically dictate what ought to cause you ultimately to choose that “leap”; therefore, it is up to you.
So, when asked how I brand myself, the answer for years now has been simple — I am a Christian Existentialist. The seemingly juxtaposed natures of the two schools of thought often leave people confused, with nothing more than a question mark. Here, I will reconcile my thoughts and provide some clarity to those who have heard them before.
Existentialism — for those needing a quick refresher of past philosophy classes — is a 20th-century school of thought that assumes people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves. As my high school history teacher often put it, “it’s about taking a leap of choice.” This branch of philosophy does not specifically dictate what ought to cause you ultimately to choose that “leap”; therefore, it is up to you.
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