YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU
In our lives there will be times
when we all will be tested and confronted with things that will challenge us
spiritually, mentally, and physically. It is an expectation. Nobody is exempt
from this. This represents a reality which is unavoidable. As Christians, we
need to ask ourselves a question: “How are we supposed to approach these
obstacles that could easily test our faith in Jesus and lead us away from him?”
We should take our answers from
what the Sacred Scriptures tell us and what so many of our brothers and sisters
before us did when they faced trials and tribulations. It is so easy to dismiss
them and other individuals in times of crisis when the natural thing to do is
only focus on ourselves. This is a terrible mistake and could lead to
unimaginable consequinces. No one is ever really alone; only when they want to
be. Christianity is a community; an extended family that is bound together by
Jesus Christ. Living in this reality, there is an expectation of love, support,
and consolation in the community. There is also an unconditional love that
mustbe given to all who reside in the community.
Too many times, society teaches us
that each individual rises and falls based on his or her own merit and faults.
God teaches us that this is not true. Yes, we are all responsible for our own
actions but once there is an acknowlegement of a sin or of crisis, healing and
help comes from God and the community; not from one person. God called the
Jewish people back to faith and healing not individually but as a community. It
was through the community that healing and reconcilliation was possible. It is
the responsibility of the individual to respond but it is through the support
of the many that we all receive our strength. This is why Jesus performed
miracles: not only for the individual receiving the miracle but so that the
community could wintess it and thus have their faith strengthened also. It is a
collective act.
Through the movement of the
community all going forward with a common goal everything is achieved. No one
stands alone. Standing alone and feeling alone weakens the Living Body of
Christ here on this earth. When we act individually,we cannot forget the
collectivity of our nature. Individual actions affect the whole as actions of
the whole affect the individual. That is why we must keep Christ central in all
of our thoughts and actions. We must remain selfless in our nature.
As long as we are selfless, we can
then encounter Christ selfishly and develop our own relationship which will
then strengthen the faith of others.
Deacon Tom
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