DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Sunday, October 6, 2013






It is natural for us to question God and his influence in our lives when we are confronted with a crisis or an obstacle that appears to be insurmountable. We are taught throughout our lives that God is watching over us and protecting us in a most loving way. Furthermore, God is all powerful and good. If this is true, why then do we find ourselves challenged and, at times, unhappy with ourselves? God encourages this exercise and wants us to question him. Through this process our faith can actually be strengthened. When we doubt God and his love we are more able to engage our faith. This can cause us to embrace our faith by seeking the answers to the questions that we present. It can become a quest for knowledge and understanding. As more is revealed to us, the answer will become more clear and we will have more confidence in that very same answer.

We all want to be loved. We were created that way so as to experience the perfect love that is God. For that love to be strengthened it must be tested and forged. Like steel, the more that it is heated the stronger it gets. Love that is not challenged is shallow and weak. God does not want us to come forward to him in a perfectly straight path. Our Salvation Story is long and winding. The road can be dark, foreboding, and desolate. But in the end, there is a glorious light. Through Sacred Scripture and prayer, God guides us and reminds us that we as Christians will cry out to him in misery and fail to see him. He also comforts us with the knowledge that the suffering is not forever and the reward for it will be the presence of his love for us. To experience this love we must seek it and fully embrace it, allowing it to influence this precious life of ours. When we surrender to him, then what we are to say and do in response to it will become all the more clear.

In the Letter to the Hebrews it is written, “but the just one, because of his faith, shall live. This is a guarantee that as long as we stand by God and walk with Christ, we will be rewarded and loved. God has given us the free will to choose him or reject him. Just as we spent so much time turning away from him, the journey back to him will take a lot of time and effort. There will be great rewards for this effort and hard work even if they are not immediately noticeable.

We should not expect to receive accolades for what we do in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Most of our good works and acts of kindness will go unnoticed except by Jesus and ourselves. There is a simplicity and beauty in this. Recognition from society and from people in general are fleeting and meaningless. They come one day and are gone the next. Any type of reward that can be contrived is temporary. It is forgotten very soon and our lives continues. As Jesus says, we should store up our treasures in heaven for that reward is eternal. With that eternity comes the love of God and ultimate happiness. While we are here on this earth we should humble ourselves and have confidence that our work pleases God and that is all that matters. There should be a wantonness to please God because we love him and want to. Nothing more should matter. Through these acts we will feel his love all the more and we will be transformed continuously. This is what God guarantees.

At times, living a Christian life can be a lonely existence. There are those who will alienate us and try to convince us to abandon our journey for something more fulfilling. This type of fulfillment lies in sin and ignoring God while pursuing the corporal things in life. In the short-term, this type of life will offer stimulation and gratification but it is shallow and expires quickly, leaving an emptiness that can only be filled by more indulgence. When we are lonely we need to remind ourselves that we are working towards the strongest foundation of joy imaginable; one that is with and for God.

When Saint John the Baptist was in prison he had already proclaimed that Jesus was the messiah and the Lamb of God. Yet, in his loneliness, he started to doubt. He was challenged that everything he did and saw was for naught. He overcame this through his faith. Through his example we can receive consolation that this is a natural occurrence for those of us in the Christian Community and everyone in the world. To overcome it we must pray and concentrate ever harder on our work here on this earth knowing that God will recognize us for our love and for what we do. The more we open up to him and follow his instructions the more the truth will be revealed. It is a process of knowing and understanding. Much like Saint John the Baptist, we all have a certain amount of understanding if not a complete understanding. To have more revealed we must strive for it through our actions and faith-life.

There is greatness in the ultimate truth. We all have that ability to experience that greatness through the love of God and working hard in our lives to pursue knowledge and understanding regarding who we are and where we are going. The people that we meet and engage on this journey are the most important ones imaginable. Each is the personification of Jesus Christ. How we interact with them will define our relationship with Jesus Christ and will be the ultimate factor regarding how bright our own light will shine and how much we will be able to feel God's love. The more we feel God's love, the more we will be able to enjoy this life of ours on this earth.

Deacon Tom

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