Sunday, September 4, 2011

I Search for A Praying Ace

Life is animated. Each day we seek signs of divine influence, of divine affluence in spirit and behavior, of divine grace. We seek to find it in the clergy, in other parishioners, in the parish community as a whole. We hope that others see it in us, in our choices, in our words, in our deeds, in our prayers.

Remember and believe that God continues to communicate to us each day. Remember and believe that God has done this will all preceding generations and that he will do it with all those which will follow this one. As Christians we are asked to remember and believe the life and death of Jesus Christ. As Christians we are asked to build a life with a foundation of pure, honest spirituality filled with unconditional love for God, for neighbor, for ourselves. The life of a Christian is a difficult life of choice, of sacrifice, of prayer. The life of a Christian requires fidelity to God, fidelity to the Gospels, fidelity to the Church, fidelity to God’s community. Each Christian’s spiritual life contains individual instructions, individual directions for a loving relationship with God. Remember and believe that being Christian is being radical, is being a rebel. The core principles require developing a keen sense of selflessness, a sense of giving, a spirit of diligence. There is much work to be done. There are many prayers to be said. There is much sin and temptation to avoid. There will be days of doubt, days when different parts of Church teachings and dogma may cause problems, may be difficult accept because of the influence of the secular world. These are times when we are asked to remember God, remember the church, remember the community of all believers. These are the times when it is necessary to affirm our belief and love in God in direct and simple terms. These are the times when it is necessary to believe in the beauty and power of prayer. Life presents difficulties for us. The secular world presents difficulties for us. How we react to the difficulties is very important. These are times to be faithful, to strive to grow in our faith, in our love. We must accept our vulnerability, our imperfections as we attempt to improve ourselves, as we search for a spiritual perfection which will lead to our eternal life.

Oh we may worry about our life’s vocation, or a summer vacation, or the time restraints of an avocation. There will always be things for each us to worry about. There will always be things for each us to pray about.

Remember and believe that being Christian is not a simple act. It requires courage, hard work, thought, reflection. Being Christian requires activity, involvement with God, with our neighbors, with ourselves. Active participation leads us to God, allows us to hear his voice as he speaks to us each day, as he whispers to us each day.

Within each of us in a hunger for goodness, kindness, holiness. Our theology provides examples and encourages us to develop lives based upon these three ideas. Our theology is a guidance system for moral thought, moral insight. The secular world encourages emotional reaction, instant gratification. We are asked to have patience, to allow time for reflection before making decisions.

God will animate our thoughts when we allow him to do so, when we allow ourselves to be quiet, to be reverent in the stillness and grace of his love.

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