Friends of Faith:
The first of the 100 confirmation questions I was required
to memorize when I was just 9 years old was from the very first paragraph of
the Catechism: “What does God want from us?” The answer: “To seek Him, to know
Him, and to love Him.” CCC1
And although I was baptized when I was just a few days old, have
gone to mass at least once a week forever, attended Catholic school, have taken
part in several retreats and more recently have attended diaconate formation
classes with Stan for the past 4 years, I continue to be constantly in awe of
the miracles God has performed and the prayers that I see answered.
“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be
saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I
came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a
shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the
sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the
sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine
know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the
Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have
other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These
also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one
shepherd. This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.” Jn 10: 9-17
And, I am constantly reminded of the many things about God I
do not know.
Unfortunately I am also reminded of that first question and
answer when I am asked why more don’t come to church, attend date nights,
retreats or other faith sharing groups.
Is it because we are afraid to “know him;” afraid of what we
might learn, or afraid of what we might have to change in our lives? Or is it
because we are apathetic to anything beyond today, not caring what eternal life
might look like and preferring instead to be unchallenged, avoid suffering, and
to serve mostly ourselves?
One of the greatest gifts we have received in diaconate
formation is the opportunity to meet very wise and well educated theologians
and to be blessed with bookshelves full of resources. But if we don’t use these
resources to deepen our faith in some way, and if all we do is put the books on
a shelf and file away our notes, never praying to have the strength to do God’s
will and never seeking to love others as He loved us then we too will have
gained nothing.
So the even greater gift I have been given is the wisdom to
KNOW that in order to KNOW God I must constantly strive to know Him by taking
every opportunity possible: by taking time to pray (personal relationship), by reading
Scripture and early Church writings (history), by making time to attend days of
reflection and retreat (heart growth), and by attending faith sharing groups
(such as date night) to share this journey with others (growing a community of
support and love).
In order to grow, and in order to keep up with the times I
am reminded by the questions I am asked that I, too, still have much to learn,
about God, about the history of the Church, about how the Church has evolved,
about Scripture, the Saints, and even the sinners and especially about God’s
design and purpose for my life.
So, I seek Him and I yearn to Know and love Him – because in
Him all things are possible, today, tomorrow and forever.
Be blessed in your journey to seek, to know and to love,
because Learning to Know God never ends.
Seeking God never ends. Loving God
never ends.
Blessings,
Charlotte
