He was a quiet friendly man who came to Mass every day, sat in the same seat and returned home afterwards. Yes! Tommy is one of the countless men and women who over many years, give and have given witness to their faith. Their attendance at Mass is just one of the many ways by which we recognise the followers of Christ. There are many other signs by which Christians silently proclaim their faith, in their own lives giving wordless witness to their faith. It may well be a silent proclamation to the Good News, but it is a very powerful and effective one. Most sincere Christians are aware that they fall far short of the high standards that the Lord has set for us all, but they persevere in trying to be the person that the Lord wants them to be and in doing so, showing his light to others. The light of their faith shines for all to see and they are answering Christ’s call to; “Let your light shine before men, that seeing your good works, they may praise the Father in heaven.”

Will our good works lead others to accept Christ? Will our witness lead people without faith accepting God in their lives? This we will probably never know, but seeing our “good work” may well be the first step in getting them to think that there is something more in life than the daily routine of working, eating, sleeping and getting up the next day and repeating it all again.

The essence of Christianity and what makes it distinct from other religions is the knowledge that God is our Father. Jesus made it possible for each of us to personally know God, as our Father and in Jesus we see the perfect love of God. Jesus is the revelation of God – a God who loves us all completely, unconditionally and perfectly at all times in our lives.