Faith is a gift. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t discover it on your own. It was given to you in what we call a “grace”, something beyond our physical nature . . . something from God. You were given the seed of Faith in Baptism.
This grace brings “a knowledge of things unseen.” By faith “we understand that the universe was created by God’s word . . . what is seen was made by what is unseen.” Hebrews 11:13. But this is just the beginning. Faith also tells us that God became a human being in Jesus Christ. Christ is the visible appearance of God with us. The man, Jesus, speaks what God wants us to know about his plan for humankind. Namely, that we be joined to God by our participation in the Body of Christ.
And how can we be sure of this “knowledge”? How do we know it’s true? (Scientific knowledge can be proven by our reason (2+2=4). But science does not exhaust all that is real. Some very real things can be known only by faith.) Can science prove your mother’s love?
Ahh . . . here is where we get to the essence of faith. We know it’s true because “we believe” the one who reveals it . . . God. Faith gives us the ability to surrender to a truth I cannot see.
Why should I surrender to something that can’t be proven scientifically?? Because I’ve been GIVEN that power in the gift of Faith. The old theological phrase said the things of faith are, “revealed by God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived because of who He is.”
Another word to describe what we’re talking about is Trust. Who do you trust? Someone you know to be truthful, right? Someone who exhibits goodness toward others. A friend, a parent, teacher, priest. Can we put God in that category? Faith says “Yes!” “Look.
But here’s the problem. We’re human beings. We forget things, we take things for granted. (Angels don’t!) We get distracted or taken up with the everyday stuff of life.
Yes, we can grow distant to the love of friend or family. And so we need to be reminded of the important things, the lifegiving things. Don’t you feel a need to sit for dinner with your family? What happens? We speak to each other, we share our thoughts and feelings. We experience communion.
Should it be any different with God who made us and loves us? A God, who Jesus says to call “Father”. This is the wisdom of the Commandments and the teaching of the Church, “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day”.
We Catholics keep this commandment by going to Mass on Sundays. There we meet the Lord as He speaks to us in the gospel and gives us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
Dear friends, I can’t stress enough how important it is to come to mass. Of all the things we can do to keep our faith alive, it is this. Jesus Himself tells us, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you.” John 6:52 And at the Last Supper he commands us to “Do this in memory of me.”
How will coming to mass help me to “keep my faith”? Here’s how:
- Something happens at mass. Often we can’t pinpoint it. It happens over time. We hear the story of Jesus, his actual words, we pray for the living and those who have died. We leave with something spiritual. Something we can’t get at Walmart or on line.
- Mass is something like pure clean water to drink. It has no taste like Coke or Mountain Dew! But try to go a day without a drink of water it satisfies like nothing else.
- During the mass your spirit can rest. It is home to your soul. Nowhere else will you hear the message of who you are and God’s loving plan for you.
Please join us each Sunday to renew your spirit. Bring your children, get them in the habit.
Blessed Lent to you.
Fr. Tim
