Leap of Faith
Today, I was blessed meeting a man of incredible faith and knowledge of the bible. He studies about two hours a day. He shared sad news that his wife has cancer and his belief in God and acceptance of His will for him right here, right now, is unbelievable. He is an evangelist by word and example. Before he ever knew that I was Catholic, let along served in ministry, he was sharing the bible. He puts me to shame because he knows AND understands the bible chapter and verse. Going beyond that he applies God’s word to life in general and his current life situation in particular.
I soon discovered that the man was not Catholic but his life reflects God and I am sure that if he could understand all that our Catholic faith offers and that the Bible directly points to God and His teachings he would attempt to share more with us. It led me to reflect on just how many individuals are away from God and their faith because they have not decided to take that leap of faith. There are so many reasons why some have not reached that point. Our life experiences command us to share our innermost desires and turn to God. There is no one else! He is the source of our life and the core of our faith as Catholics.
It is so exciting here at St. Stephen’s to see an explosion of Bible Studies taking place. People are even asking for more as sessions end. In our parish it is on the best seller list. Deacon Rick leads the way each week by offering more and more studies. He may be reach by phone at the church office 689-4900 or email deaconrick@ststephencatholic.org.
How can we help? We know that pushing something up a steep hill is next to impossible for us to do alone. It takes teamwork. It takes for us to listen to each God moment that is placed before us. There are so many we may miss if we do not take the time to sit and listen. Here again, it takes a community which is why we have such an awesome Order of Christian Initiation which is a process by which those interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith more importantly God. It is a terrific studying, praying, sharing and support community of catechists (teachers of the faith) and those who feel that they may be or are ready to be led up the hill. This wonderful process is coordinated by Rosie Bridges. She may be reached by phone at the Office of Religious Education 671-4434 or email: rbridges@ststephencatholic.org
There is also a process for those who have as our protestant friends remind us “backslidden” and decided to go it alone. Or, there may have been someone who has hurt us in some way and we can’t find our way back to God and our Catholic faith. We are here to share….it is not God who left us…it is each of us at certain times in our lives that stray and say “I don’t need God, I don’t need to community of faith believers”. For them the process is called Catholics Come Home/Return to Faith. For further information about this process please call or email me, Jeanne Schneider at 689-4900, Ext. 314 jschneider@ststephencatholic.org. Let us welcome you home!
God bless,
Jeanne Schneider, Pastoral Assistant
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