When we get “faith” wrong, everything is threatened. Like a mutated gene, things fall apart before they even get going. But our growth in faith doesn’t come from getting over a “fear” but from developing a deeper relationship with the one in whom we want to place our faith.
Quid animo satis?
A theme in Luke’s Gospel the past several weeks could be summed up in the question, “Quid animo satis? What satisfies the soul?” This week, Jesus reveals that money and possessions will ultimately not satisfy. But in order his saying to truly be accepted, we have to first recognize our own poverty.
The Three Our Father Challenge
So often the “Lord’s Prayer” can be just one more prayer we rattle off, hopefully daily but maybe even not that often. But is Jesus just giving us more words to say? Or is there a deeper something to his teaching us to pray? St. Augustine has a few insights to help.
The One Thing Necessary
“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and that one is what we are doing.” As Annie Dillard insightfully points out, we must be very intentional about how we live day to day, and hour to hour. Especially in a time when our attention is pulled in so many directions and busyness tends to dominate (when we are “anxious and worried about many things”), we should learn to focus on the one thing necessary.
Embracing the Adventure
“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.”
“Greatest Hits!” – A Resilient Faith
On the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, we reflect on their unwavering faith in Jesus as the Christ, which led to their martyrdom. While we will most likely not face the same challenge of martyrdom, we nevertheless face a challenge to our faith just as real.
“Greatest Hits!” – Saving Private Ryan
Why attend the Catholic Mass? Why not any church? Why not shop around town for the best preacher, or the best music, or the best children’s program, or the best donuts? What if I told you that at the Mass the single greatest miracle, the single most amazing event in the universe takes place?
“Who am I that You think of me?”
The Trinity is not a mystery to solve but a life we are created and destined to share. Not even the angels get that privilege! But do we truly stand in awe and wonder of this incredible fact? Psalm 8 might help us.
“Greatest Hits!” – Cor Inquietum
One important principle in the spiritual life is Augustine’s “Cor Inquietum,” our restless heart that will only find rest in the Lord. Today’s solemnity of Pentecost, then, is more than a day about miraculous fire or speaking in tongues. It is the day we are sent on mission to announce the response to our restless hearts that we have discovered in Jesus Christ and His Church.
A Faith Which Shapes Our Lives (Part 6)
So often, our faith becomes a “finite” game, one we try to win simply by following the rules. But when the mentality shifts to seeing faith as an “infinite” game, all of a sudden the New Testament, the lives of the saints, and our own lives of faith will begin to take on a new shape.
The Beggar 