Standing Together

Women of Faith:
“Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us; make our hearts burn while you speak to us.” Lk 24-32

“How do we get more people to join us?” was a comment from one of our date night participants last night.

They echoed both my sorrow and sometimes my frustration of not only the marriage ministry and enrichment program but of life and living in general.

I want EVERY person that I meet to experience love in their marriage, joy in their life and hope in their futures—the hope, love and joy we are promised by Christ if we follow Christ.

And while praying that we can stand together as Christians, I also struggle not to judge others actions because it hurts to watch the people whom I care about experience sufferings and sorrows in their life because of their own actions.

Friends who say they are Christians, but yet do little or refuse to turn to God; who deny their faith by their actions (although sometimes their words would say otherwise); who struggle to forgive or to accept; who are self-serving instead of self-giving or who seem stuck in a lifestyle that won’t allow for offered enrichment or hope to enter their lives.

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” Ps 119: 23-24

“Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen.... came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.” (So they blasphemed him to try to take away his credibility) Acts 6:8-15

Even those in Christ’s time who were blessed to be present during his miracles denied, blasphemed, spoke against, crucified and tore down those who were clearly giving them God’s message.

“Jesus answered them and said,..."Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." Jn 6: 26-29

We have been blessed by the Miracles of Fatima and Lourdes, given the living examples of Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II and yet we doubt like St. Thomas, deny like St. Peter and have persecuted like St. Paul.

We are being asked as Catholics and as Christians to stand for the law of Christ against the law of the nation which denies religious freedoms in the current health care mandates. Will we?

We are given opportunities to enrich our faith by ministries such as the date night program, men’s and women’s faith sharing groups and bible studies. Do we do take the time and prioritize an event that will enrich our marriage or are faith life beyond our “one hour” of weekly church attendance? Are we even giving God the one hour so that he might “open the Scriptures to us”?

Heavenly Father, May our hearts burn as we hear the words you have spoken. Help us to truly open our hearts and minds to do the actions you require of us as Christians. May we have the courage to stand together to give full attention and praise to your law even if it means we will be persecuted because we must deny societal rules. Protect our priests and religious who publicly hold themselves up to your righteousness. And may we all follow you, by taking the opportunities to enrich our faith lives in daily prayer, in reading and studying scripture and by doing something extra to help someone else today. Amen.

May you be blessed by God and may you have the strength and courage to do what is right by God,

In Faith,
Charlotte