Fr. Shenan J. Boquet: The City of God and The City of Man (What Do You Believe?)

“Two cities, then, have been created by two loves: that is, the earthly by a love that extends itself even to contempt of God, and the heavenly by love of God extending to contempt of self.” ― St. Augustine, The City of God

What role should the faith that Catholics hold play in their lives, including (or perhaps especially) outside of the time they spend in church?

In some ways, the answer to this question is obvious. Clearly, if Catholics believe what they say they believe, then their faith must be central to and affect everything they do. As St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thes 5:16-18).Pray always. This command from the great apostle lays out the ideal for Christians in every generation. Everything we do must be sanctified. It is not so much that a Christian must always be engaged in explicit vocal or even mental prayer, but that every part of a Christian’s life should be subsumed into his faith and directed towards God.