Radical Faith

I went to Mass this morning.  Not the original plan for the day.

Today my daughter turns 7!  I’m giving her the day off from school (homeschool) but I still have some other obligations–an Adoration Committee meeting, lunch duty at Frassati Catholic Academy, and a preschool program at St. Mary of the Annunciation–then a basketball game tonight at St. Bede’s!  (really–but it was fun to get all those saint names into one sentence!)

So a busy day, but my intention was to drop the 2 boys off and then treat the girls to a Starbucks hot chocolate before the first meeting of the day.

My “today” 7-year-old ASKED if we could go to church instead of going to Starbucks–her thought was “we can go to Starbucks anytime.”

How can I argue with that logic!

The reading today was about the friends who lowered a paralyzed man in through the roof.  What kind of people have a best friend who is paralyzed? devise a plan to drop him through a roof?  be so radical in their faith that they would seek out Jesus in such a big way?  were they afraid to be so “out there” or were they SO faithful that it didn’t matter?

As Father Nate was talking I thought about my own life–what I think is a natural way to follow the Lord–I”m sure some people think it is radical.

• we don’t watch much TV
• we try to be wise is how we use the earths resources
• we are conservative in what we expose our children to–regarding media–in our family we talk about topics in an age appropriate way at the age appropriate time
• we are conservative in our dress (I don’t wear Prairie dresses nor do my girls–we are fashionable without being too short, too low-cut or being a temptation to anyone)
• we homeschool
• we do not hide our faith
• we celebrate our God-given talents
• we try to find Jesus in all that we meet
• we “give thanks, in everything”
• we serve God by serving others
• especially hard this time of year–we make an effort not to over indulge (toys, food, drink, number of ornaments on the tree–excess is so easy)

I’m at a point now on my journey that I seek God things.  The music I listen too, spending time in prayer, finding joy and blessings in every moment of the day–I’m feeling very peaceful in just serving God by serving my family and gradually expanding that circle of service.

I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you . . . Philippians 1:4  My internal dialogue is becoming one long prayer through the day–of thanksgiving, praise, guidance and grace.

He must increase, but I must decrease.  John 3:30  Each time I give praise to God, I  become the blessing to someone.  If to give to God is to “decrease” than I’m really ok with that.  In our culture of more, more, more–the thought of giving away isn’t something that our minds grasp quickly.  It is in the giving that we receive our most precious gifts.

I’ll be honest–I might not be dropping my friends through the roof of a house . . . but I will continue to be faithful in my own radical way.

Be Blessed as you go through your day, seeking God in your own way.