I really want to be more of a witness to faith, but am afraid of becoming a religious flake. How can I be more of a witness without becoming fanatical? A: Making bread is not difficult, but it does require that you blend water, flour, yeast, and salt in the right proportions or else the bread fails. Jesus uses the image of bread often when he speaks about spiritual things. Our life of faith requires balance, or the right blend of things, in order to be authentic and credible. Emotion, intellect, under-standing and spiritual practice are all essential to the life of a believer. When any of these elements are over-emphasized to the detriment of the others, we risk the loss of balance and direction that leads us to "monotone, monochrome" thinking. We can give witness to our faith in small ways: a meal prayer even in a restaurant; a sign of the cross when passing a cemetery, a religious statue in our gar-den, an appropriate bumper sticker. Our witness to faith needs to be like yeast in bread: present, effective, transforming. When it guides your everyday life, when you stand up for what is right and good, when others see the person you are because of faith, you give great witness. The best sermon is always the one without any words. 2009 Lit Pub Inc.
