You know the internet can be a great thing to have. I went to bed early last night wanting to wake up refreshed (after having a long week at work last week wrestling a lot of stressful issues). My goal was to wake up with early this morning, write something beautiful for this blog that would bring bring tears to everyone’s eyes and all those waffling in their faith back to the Church. The little black book I’ve been reading faithfully everyday talked about a Brazilian Archbishop (Dom Helder Camara) and how he lived his life dedicated to the poor and how he fought the establishment in Brazil. Then I moved onto my RISE challenge which talked about doing the mundane things at work, the small tasks that you’ll never be recognized for, with the same vim and vigor as the tasks that get you recognized and promoted because it is just as important to the small and unrewarding tasks as it is to do the “glory” tasks. After some reflection on that, I read today’s readings and Bishop Barron’s reflection on the Gospel:
Theologian Paul Tillich said that “faith” is the most misunderstood word in the religious vocabulary. And this is a tragedy, for faith stands at the very heart of the program; it is the sine qua non of the Christian thing. What is it? The opening line of Hebrews 11 has the right definition: “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.”
Faith is a straining ahead toward those things that are, at best, dimly glimpsed. But notice, please, that it is not a craven, hand-wringing, unsure business. It is “confident” and full of “conviction.” Think of the great figures of faith, from Abraham to John Paul II: they are anything but shaky, indefinite, questioning people. Like the royal official, they are clear, focused, assured.
St. Mary Magdalen Men of God 