Deacon Tom Anthony

Acknowledging that there is a God and that he loves us is only the beginning of our journey of faith. From there, we have to understand who this God is and what he expects of us in this life of ours. We as Christians are given the responsibility to conduct ourselves rightly and serve as an example for others to follow. Through our actions and behavior we must exemplify the teachings of Christ and of God. To do this correctly, we have to know God and continuously explore our relationship with him. There can be no short-cuts in this area if we are to be truly happy.

Reading Sacred Scripture is a form of prayer. Through it we learn about our faith and about the history of our salvation. We can gain strength, understanding, and comfort from its pages. God is speaking directly to us and teaching us. Every word is as relevant now as it was when it was first revealed. We learn this from the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God is ever-present and is revealed continuously through Sacred Scripture. We are offered this revelation as a gift and an instruction manual. It is also protection from the evils of the world and Satan who wishes to lead us to utter destruction. To use it correctly we must refer to it always. This takes discipline and constant attention. It is very easy to be distracted and ignore the Bible. The allures of sin and society are always ready to draw us away from the teachings of God.

Beyond Sacred Scripture the Church encourages us to seek out the answers to the questions we have. God challenges us in many ways because he wants us to search for him. This searching makes our life complete. The Church serves as a sort of guide in this area. When we have questions, we must seek counsel from our teachers and alternative resources. For thousands of years, people have researched Sacred Scripture and have validated what is found within the pages. It offers a historical and spiritual document of the human condition throughout eternity. We can spend our entire lives learning about God and will never completely finish all that is offered. Through this process we are being formed and molded into what God wants us to be.

Paul tells us that, “All Scripture is inspired by God

and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.”
Through us knowing Sacred Scripture we are preparing for a Spiritual Battle within ourselves

 and with the evils that permeate society. It serves as protection from temptation and from

 those who wish to shatter our faith. Paul further tells us to “Put on the armor of God 

so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.” Sacred Scripture 

serves as part of this armor and we draw strength from it. 
 

 Beyond Sacred Scripture we must plunge ourselves into prayer constantly.

 This continues our conversation with God and enables us to strengthen our relationship

 with God. When we focus our attention on God and orient our daily living towards him only

 good things can happen. Think about the times when we sinned and have done bad things

 in our life. Were we thinking about God at the time we did these things? The answer is definitely 

no. So to eliminate the evil influences we must keep God in our thoughts

Remember the Greatest Commandment: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all

 your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Following this insures a stable,

 happy, and fulfilling life. It may be challenging to do this but we work hard to sin so we can

 easily take all of that energy and time and pour it into our relationship with God.
 

In every aspect of our lives, society urges us to work hard and remain committed to goals. 

In order to be successful we are told that there has to be constant effort and planning. 

These are essential. Applying this same concept to our faith and relationship with God

will insure positive results. Nothing is achieved without hard work. The same can be said

about knowing and experiencing God. He will help us on the way but the burden is on us

to build on the foundation and assistance that he offers us through grace and love. 
 

Once this foundation becomes solid and we become committed then nothing becomes

impossible with God. What we do and what we become is limitless. With God central in

our lives we will enter into a life and have life experiences beyond anything we have

experienced before. Our life becomes a life the way God intended it to be. 
Beautiful and Awesome.
Deacon Tom