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Weekly Bulletin

Pastor's Blog,

Pastor’s Blog :

Be my protector, O God,

a mighty stronghold to save me.

For you are my rock, my stronghold!

Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name. -Psalm 30:3-4

These beautiful words from Psalm 31 have been chosen by our Church as the Entrance Antiphon today, and they truly capture the essence of all our readings. There is a call for us to have a deeper faith and stronger trust in the Lord, who will provide for us. We are reminded, time and time again, that God’s ways are not our ways and that God’s wisdom is beyond our ability to truly know and understand without the guidance of the Spirit who enlightens us.

There is a time in our lives when we resist protection and complete submission to the ones who lead and guide us. I am thinking of the “terrible twos,” when suddenly a child begins to act out in order to separate his or her identity from that of parents and surroundings. It comes at a time when they learn the word “no!” -- and they begin to exert their independence, even to the point of rebelling against what we see as good. I have joked at baptisms that the “terrible twos” actually begin at 18 months and last for another 18 years, if we’re lucky!

In actuality, I believe this week speaks to us as being called from an adolescent faith to a mature one. This is not to put down any of us, especially our teens and young adults, but all of us can relate to the times in our lives (at any age!) when we thought we had all the answers; when we felt that we (and only we) knew what was right. More often than not, we are eventually humbled by the fact that we do not have all the answers. It is at that vulnerable moment when we can begin to see the truth. That is the sign of true wisdom.

The childlike tendency to reject the rules or follow them without understanding is tested during one’s adolescence, when the person begins to mature. Often, the young person questions and demands reasons why something is so. This is a healthy, important way to grapple with the rules and the consequences of following or not following them. People joke that it may take having a child of your own to understand the rules of the parents, and we know that is fundamentally true. Likewise, our faith and our understanding of the Ten Commandments and other prescriptions of the law do not really connect with us until we have matured into an awareness of what they truly mean.

The simplest explanation I give children at the time of First Reconciliation as to why God wants us to do or not do certain things is tied to an example that makes them smile. I remind them that their parents tell them not to hit their brother or sister because they truly want them to love and respect each other. Some days, we get it. Some days, we just want them to stop hitting each other. Wisdom informs us how God wants us to live, to love and respect each other. It’s pretty simple; why do we make it so hard?

God bless you! -Fr. George

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