Put faith first, Olympian encourages young Catholics

Put your faith first, Olympian encourages young Catholics :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Fighting fear with faith - Tomorrow's reading reflection

Do you ever feel haunted by a past failure or a guilty conscience? King Herod, the most powerful and wealthy man in Judea, had everything he wanted, except a clear conscience and peace with God. Herod had respected and feared John the Baptist as a great prophet and servant of God. John, however did not fear to rebuke Herod for his adulterous relationship with his brother's wife. John ended up in prison because of Herodias' jealousy. Herod, out of impulse and a desire to please his family and friends, had John beheaded. Now Herod's conscience is pricked when he hears that some think that the Baptist has risen.

When Herod heard the fame of Jesus he supposed that John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, had returned from the dead. Unfortunately for Herod, he could not rid himself of sin by ridding himself of the man who confronted him with his sin. Herod was a weak man. He could take a strong stand on the wrong things when he knew the right. Such a stand, however, was a sign of weakness and cowardice. The Lord gives grace to the humble, to those who acknowledge their sins and who seek God's mercy and pardon. His grace and pardon not only frees us from a guilty conscience, it enables us to pursue holiness in thought and action as well.  God's grace enables us to fight fear with faith.

(Adapted from Don Schwager)

Don't be so self-preoccupied (pride); live the joy of the Gospel (faith) - Sunday's reading reflection

Shorty after Matthew’s introduction to Jesus’ public life, we hear Jesus addressing his followers with the same imagery, but now it is transferred from Jesus to the mission of those followers: “You are the light of the world a City set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (5:14-16). And those “you’s” are plural, meaning that Jesus speaks these words to his followers as a community. Since this is the same speech in which Jesus says, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them” (6:1), we might hear this as a contradiction to his mandate to be the light of the world. But that latter quotation refers to specifically religious practices—fasting, almsgiving, and prayer—warning his followers not to do those things for show. But Jesus’ earlier charge to be light for the world refers to the ordinary living of the Christian life—taking care of one another and reaching out lovingly to others beyond the community, realizing that these things will be a witness to the world of love for all that the heavenly Father’s animates in Christian community. 

In this context, the reading from Paul’s second letter to the Christian community in Corinth gives us plenty to think about. We hear Paul scolding this otherwise vibrant community for their rivalries, factions based on each boasting about being mentored in the faith by a particular minister—Paul, or Apollos, or Peter--probably saying things like, “My catechist was more authoritative than yours!” Don’t we sometimes see similar divisions, even within our own faith communities, where some of us consider ourselves more “orthodox” or better informed than others because of our training, education, or sources of information? I hear Pope Francis saying, “Don’t be so self-preoccupied; live the gospel fully in all of your relationship—within the faith community and beyond it. Let your joy in the gospel be contagious, so that those who see it will recognize that this joy comes from the heavenly Father, not you.

(Adapted from Dennis Hamm, S.J.)

Faith that God will always be there when we fall - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"he guards the lives of his faithful ones"

It seems my faith (my oil) requires constant replenishing.  I worry, will I have enough?  Yet nowhere have I ever heard God say, I’m only going to give you this much faith, so you’d better hoard it.  It seems the supply of faith available to us is inexhaustible.  So why the fear?  Faith is definitely a choice.  It seems both incredibly powerful, but also fragile.  Worry seems to often squeeze the faith and hope out of my life.  Worry seems to rob us of our faith.  When we worry, we lose our joy and it affects our ability to serve God.  When we simply trust God and put God first in our lives, then we glorify him and our joy can return.

My granddaughter, Annie, is learning to walk.  We sit on the kitchen floor and I aim her at her mom or dad and let go of her hands.  She stumbles across the floor and launches herself into her mom or dad’s arms.  If they were not there to catch her she would definitely land face first on the floor.  And yet she does it again and again and every time she looks back at me, grinning with such pride and joy.  There isn't any thought in her head about, “what if they didn’t catch me?”  She simply trusts completely.

How I wish I had Annie’s faith and trust.  It is so easy to fall into the worry trap and lose our joy.

My prayer today is for those of us who stumble with our faith and trust.  Instead of expecting the worst, we should be preparing for the best.

(Adapted from Daniel O'Reilly)

"Do we need to apply this principle, Lord, or have we checked that faith box already?" - Sunday's reading reflection

"putting into effect with one accord the divine institution."

Peter asks Jesus a question in the Gospel. “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” It is a very revealing question that was not unique to Peter. It is a question disciples of Jesus have asked through the millennia.  The question reveals a level of confusion and ignorance.  One cannot be held culpable for those realities.  But it also reveals an attitude that is based upon comparison.  In Peter's mind, there was a "they" and "us".  This is where disciples of Christ, Jews, Muslims, even atheists get into trouble.  They assume there is a "they" and "us".  And when we assume there is a difference, there is soon to follow comparison.  And with comparison, usually a "we are better" is born from faith and belief in the religion in which one is raised or converted.  "They" compared to "us".  “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”

Jesus' response to Peter, interpreted by early Church in the Gospel, who basically a one word answer- everyone.  

Yet we're so quick to compare our faith against the faith, or lack of faith, of others.  Peter's questions seem to say, "Do we need to apply this principle, Lord, or have we checked that faith box already?"  There is a poverty in his faith at this point.  And there is certainly a famine of truth faith in our culture. Rather, it is a feast of fast-food faith focused on the externals.  

But our second reading tells us "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." True faith isn't about externals and things and actions that can be seen.  It's the exact opposite -"evidence of things not seen."  Jesus makes that clear at the beginning of the Gospel when he says, "Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven." You can't see the treasure in heaven but you can have hope in it.  That is faith.  It doesn't have anything to do with "they" or "us".  It has to do with "me".  

Today when I hear the Gospel, I hear what Jesus says to "me".  “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom."  Since he has given me the kingdom today, and today is all I have for sure, and my faith is in what is not seen, then as his child, how am "I" going to "be" in his kingdom today.  Anything else I do with that is external.  It is to be seen.  And Jesus has stern words for the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes who did things to be seen. 

In "me" there is no need for "they" compared to "us".  Though there is one Way to heaven through Jesus Christ, there are many roads that lead along that way.  But don't worry about all those roads that other people are on.  If you're going to worry, worry about yourself.  Anyone who can read between the lines can see that that is exactly what Jesus was telling Peter in answer to his question.  "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property."  

As he says more expressly after the Resurrection, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? [You] Follow me!" so he says now to Peter and to each of us.  We are not to worry about "they" or "us".  If we are to live life as God designed, "putting into effect with one accord the divine institution" as our first reading said, and "all who believed were of one accord and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need," as the Acts of the Apostles says, then we are to be one in faith, hope and love with everyone.  

If each of us worries about himself, and we all do so in one accord, just imagine how easy it would be to live in the kingdom that the Father has already given us.