In summary, if God is the depth of existence, then religion is the confident search for this depth as well as the celebration of those events, persons or occasions where the depth has broken through the surface of our lives in an exceptional way. The test of whether we are religious or not is simply whether we are concerned with this dimension of depth.
- John Haught [20th C.], What is God? -
(What do you think of John Haught's definition of religion? How do you rate yourself in terms of the test he proposes?)
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- feast of St. Andrew the Apostle
Rom 10:9-18; Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Mt 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
Reflection on the Scriptures
Faith Comes from What is Heard
The words of St. Paul for this Feast of St. Andrew focus our attention on the simple truth that, whether for apostles in the first century of the Church’s life, or today, “faith comes from what is heard.” Although for many of us, the moment of our baptism may be regarded as the beginning of our journey of faith, the growth in that faith comes from the experience of people speaking about the One whom they
know and love.
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans surrounds that truth with the wonderful words of the prophet Isaiah: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” These words move us to celebrate the journeys and labor of Andrew and the other apostles. Yet, the words are also an invitation to cherish those who have spoken to us about “the One whom they know and love.”
Today would be a wonderful day for us to do some serious prayer and reflection on the concrete individuals who have been “apostles” for us, those sent by the Lord to give witness by word and deed to the Lord himself. In addition to marveling at the individuals who have most immediately brought us to deeper faith, we might pause to consider the long line of others who passed on the faith to them. Perhaps
we might even dare to imagine who in this long line of our individual faith lives was the first to hear the name “Jesus” and to put faith in him?
At every turn, back through decades and even centuries, the reality is the same: faith comes from what is heard. Let us give thanks for all that we have received and ask the grace to be instruments to awaken faith in others in our own day.
- by Rev. Richard Gabuzda
The Son of God Became Human
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One, Section Two, Chapter Three
Article 8: I Believe in the Holy Spirit
V. THE SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH IN THE LAST DAYS
Pentecost
731 On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ's Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance.122
732 On that day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed. Since that day, the Kingdom announced by Christ has been open to those who believe in him: in the humility of the flesh and in faith, they already share in the communion of the Holy Trinity. By his coming, which never ceases, the Holy Spirit causes the world to enter into the "last days," the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited though not yet
consummated.
We have seen the true Light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith: we adore the indivisible Trinity, who has saved us.123
(Footnote references in the Catechism.)
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