Consequences of naturalness

What the Lord asks of us is naturalness. If we are ordinary Christians, souls dedicated to God in the middle of the world – in the world and of the world, but without being worldly – we cannot act in any other way. To do things that would be strange in others would also be strange in us. You well know that I have forbidden that our dedication have any special external signs; there is no reason for us to wear uniforms or badges.

I respect those who think that, to be a good Christian, you need to have a dozen scapulars or medals around your neck. I have great devotion to scapulars and medals, but I have greater devotion to having doctrine, and to people acquiring a deep knowledge of religion.

Not separating ourselves from other Christians

In this way there is no need for people to wear badges or medals to prove that they are Christians. Their Christianity will be expressed quite simply in their lives when they know their faith and strive to put it into practice by trying to live an upright life. It will be expressed in the delight with which they treat the things of God, and in their readiness to practise charity.

In our case, not to behave like this would be to forget the very core of our divine call. We would no longer be ordinary people; we would have separated ourselves from the mass; we would have ceased to be leaven. Only one thing can make us stand out: that we don’t stand out. Hence, for some people who are keen to draw attention or do ridiculous things, we are odd because we are not odd.