Opening Prayer: Blessed and Blessing
I give thanks to name ways in which I am blessed:
The laughter of children,
The songs of a choir,
The smile of a stranger,
The touch of a friend.
We hold blessings tenderly,
For they are fragile
And can slip away.
I wonder at blessings that are given unexpectedly:
A call at the right time,
A word of encouragement,
The one who understands
And loves without question.
We cherish blessings thankfully,
For they make dark times
Easier to bear.
I open my eyes to places where blessings are found:
The quiet of nature,
A family home,
My place of worship,
The words of a book.
We acknowledge blessings carefully,
For so many others
Have gone unnoticed.
I pause to name times of blessing:
In joy,
Or mourning,
In Celebration,
And the everyday.
We create blessings lovingly
For we know that God works through us
To be a blessing to others.
I take courage to name ways in which I am a blessing;
The hands to create,
An ear to listen,
A heart to care,
A soul to connect.
We await blessings faithfully,
For we know that God
Has created us to be
Blessed and Blessing.
--Louise Margaret Granahan
Definition of Faith Catechism of the Catholic Faith
Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his/her response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed.
It is this revelation of God which the Church proposes for our belief, and which we profess in the Creed, celebrate in the sacraments, live by right conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity (as specified in the ten commandments), and respond to in our prayer of faith.
Faith is both the theological virtue given by God as grace, and an obligation which flows from the first commandment of God.
We believe because
we know we are loved and
we believe in the one who loves us.
Thoughts on Faith from Ron Rolheiser, OFM
Faith is not easy today for any of us. To have real faith, an actual belief in God, requires something more than simply continuing to roll with the flow of our own particular faith communities. I say this because it is becoming clearer that today it is much easier to have faith in Christianity, in a code of ethics, in Jesus’ moral teaching, in God’s call to justice, in an ideology of Christianity, and even in the value of gathering for worship, than it is to have a personal and real relationship to God.
Being born into a Christian family and worshipping within a Christian church can give us a relationship to a religion, to an ideology, to a truth, and to a community of worship; but these things, of themselves, are not the same thing as an actual faith in God. Just as we have people who believe but do not practice, many of us practice but do not believe. Subscribing to an ideology, however noble and inspirational it might be, is not the same thing as believing in and actually worshipping God. To actually believe in God today, one must at some point in his or her life make a deep, private act of faith.
British writer, Anita Brookner states in one of her novels that the great tragedy in most marriages is that the man and woman cannot, in the end, console each other and that what each really needs from the other, but generally never gets, is a good confessor, someone to whom each can reveal all the secrets of his or her life so as to let go of the tension and finally just be himself or herself without pretense and effort.
Ultimately, that is what each of us needs from God – someone who can console us and someone to be for us that trusted confessor, that person before whom no secret need be hidden.
To relate to God in this way is to have faith. And this means consistently sharing all our secrets and fears in those lonely, private hours when there are just the two of us and nobody else is around.
Reflections
Anthony do Mello, s.j.
“Help us to find God”
“No one can help you there.”
“Why not?”
“For the same reason that no one can help the fish to find the ocean.”
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped hi, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
-- Matthew 14:22-23
There is no warning,
No approaching storm clouds
To scurry you into hiding.
One day you are happy and all
Is sun-kissed bright,
The next could blast your world
Apart, black as night.
Suddenly, erupting, like an earthquake,
It comes.
At your feet a deep chasm looms;
Above your head, a hole in the sky
And you know you are alone riding
Out another storm.
There will always be chasms
And holes
Looming and luring—
Cross over and through
Love waits on the other side.
Reflect on Matthew 14: 22-23
Jesus instructed the disciples to “get into the boat and go ahead to the other side.”
What is the significance of ‘getting to the other side’?
When you reflect on your own faith journey, where do you want to go? Or what does the ‘other side’ mean to you?
Jesus says on word to Peter: COME
What is Jesus asking of you?
Did you ever experience a storm in your life? Was this a time of faith or doubt…or both? Reflect on this.
LIVING Faith
Looking at the Scriptures
Someone who was forgiven
Someone who questioned
Someone who sacrificed
Faith needs flesh…
List the people you know who lived a life of faith!
(personal history, books, scripture, history)
This week
Pray for someone who shared their faith with you
Pray for someone who gives you life
Pray for someone who heals you or touches you with compassion
Pray for someone who guides you in truth
Pray for someone who walks with you on your journey
Pilgrim’s Progress
The quest for God is a journey, a pilgrimage to the depths of the soul.
The quest requires a listening heart, an ear quickened to the silent voice of God, and vigilant spirit actively waiting and watching.
To be a pilgrim is to live on life’s threshold, walking on the edge of reality, striving for what lies beyond the reality we see with our flawed human eyes.
What is a pilgrim?
…a traveler to a sacred place…
As you seek God, do you sense the hand of God guiding or holding you on your journey of life?
In what ways will you allow yourself (this year) to develop a listening hearts?
Where are the places that you long to hear the silent voice of God?
How can you watch and wait . . . “actively?”
For more information go to Formed.org and watch - Symbolon part 1: Knowing the Faith
Go to the resource page if you'd like to download the pdf for Symbolon part 1 & 2
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