The fall weather seems to be holding out just one month before Christmas. I am taking my annual retreat at the Capuchin Retreat Centre in Washington, Michigan. It is a great place to read, pray and walk. Usually, I do a combination of all three.
The celebration of Confirmation was a success and I thank all who helped prepare our young people and celebrated the sacrament. It takes a whole community; parents, sponsors and teachers to pass on the faith. I want to thank Christine Bresette particularly for her role in preparing our grade 8’s. It was a lot at the very beginning of her tenure with us.
I pray for the sake of our young people that they practice their faith actively and share themselves at the Sunday Eucharist. Otherwise, the gift given in the sacrament will remain unused. Faith is not based in our intellect and our sentiment. It is not a matter of personal opinion but a lived relationship with the God of all. It is rooted in our being and therefore must be lived first before it is understood. I learnt in psychology; that we don’t cry because we are sad, but we cry first and then realize we are sad. It the same with faith; we must kneel, before we realize the holy. It is only in practicing our faith, that we discover it.