A Continuation...

Of my thoughts the other day about the need of our daily, freely given consent and full acceptance to the gift of faith that God offers us. Today at Mass Father's homily brought up some of these very same thoughts, and that the falling away or lapsing that many Catholics experience is in fact the choosing of other things to place at center stage in their lives. The crowding out of God. These things eventually replace God and the Faith He freely gives to His children, resulting in a suspended and atrophied Faith. The problem isn't that we've outgrown our Faith; as if Faith were just a collection of fairy tales suitable only for children. It is that we've become lazy. And addicted to pleasure seeking. For when we find out our constant care and attention are required to keep our Faith alive in our daily lives, we procrastinate, we postpone; we distract ourselves with something less demanding. Perhaps what we need more than show stopping Broadway style liturgical programming, more than pop rock praise music, more than lay inclusive liturgies (E.M. & lector concelebrations anyone?); perhaps what we really need is a support group in every parish to strengthen us for the long haul. For the dry times. For the times when we rail against God for the misfortunes in our lives. We need people who will get us through the tough spots or notice when we don't come to mass. In short; reassurance that we all experience the times of disillusionment; of feeling far away from God; but never so far away to be forgotten. By God or by our fellow travelers in Faith. We need reminders that God gives freely and without restrictions and that He never revokes the choice he has made in us. As His people. His people of the Faith.   

Finally, they've won...

and Michael has his 8th, and I can go back to going to bed early again!

I'm Sorry...

... but I just can't help it. I like seeing this guy win!

Our Faith as Gift Given, and our responsibility to accept and acknowledge it as such...

I know that this image is a bit flippant, but it struck me of the need of our "Yes" to God in even in the seemingly obvious act ; but by no means least significant act; of the acceptance of our Faith. What started me on this thread was a pondering on the those of us who have been given the Faith and have either fallen away through a waning of interest or have become disillusioned and disgruntled. I know I have been guilty of both during my own journey of faith and it wasn't until I realized that I had to give and keep giving a daily "Yes" to God that I actually fully accepted the true gift that faith is for my life. Faith itself is an act of will, and must be chosen by us freely if it is to be something that can be fully experienced. And like all choices in life, it comes up for review whenever we're about to change course. Sometimes this can be often: daily, even hourly for those of us who struggle with the strong current of the world. But all I know is that the constant re-affirmation of that "Yes" to Faith in my own life has truly had an effect on how I see the world now. For now my Faith is a pearl of great price, worthy of selling everything for the attainment of it, and truly worthy of the full cherishing of that Gift given to me out of pure Love. Until we can each come to this realization, Faith lies dormant, waiting for the moment, when out of the free will God has given us we respond in kind. In Love.