June 2020
Reflections of God's Goodness
During these past few months, we have talked about seeing the blessings in our current situation as well as taking positive action ourselves to reach out to people around us, especially those in need of help. We reminded ourselves to strengthen our connection to our God and to each other. We have seen countless acts of generosity and service. We have encouraged each other to trust in the good God.
God is so good! As we continue along this path of an altered reality, God is using this time to build our faith, to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. Our faith is a gift from God and like any gift, we must receive it, unwrap it and read the instructions that came with it!
Unwrapping our gift of faith begins with the graces of Baptism and takes the rest of our lives to fully receive.
"Faith is the realization of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen."
God’s Word unwraps the full impact of His gift of faith to us. Jesus told us our faith can move mountains and give sight to the blind. He said, “Our faith can feed the hungry and heal the sick.”
Jesus says to us,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
He has told us everything we need to know to be ready, to prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for the part He will ask us to play in future days, months and years!
"You have been told . . . what is good and what the Lord requires of you. Only to do justice and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God.
Now, looking at the bigger picture of all that is going on, we can “see that while the crisis deepened, solidarity actually bloomed. There has been an explosion of altruism and cooperation: people singing from balconies; neighbors collecting food; volunteers sewing masks; doctors, nurses and cleaners risking their lives on the front lines.” (Bregman, Rutger. “The Moment to Change the World is Right Now.” Time, May 7, 2020)
As our lives begin to get back to the ‘new normal’, how will our faith affect our actions? We can choose to love the person in front of us. We can make sure we are educated about the issues that touch our lives and the lives of the poor. We can connect with our God daily, choosing to depend on His goodness and mercy for our lives.
We can be ‘doers’ of the Word, as we live our faith ‘out loud’ every day. We can begin each day asking God, “Who do you want me to love today?” “Who do you want me to help today?” “How do you want me to serve You today?” Then, we can watch and listen for opportunities as we go about our lives.
May the good God bless you as you answer the call to show His goodness to the world.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn, SNDdeN
“The Good News is that God still loves the world through each one of you. You are God's good news, you are God's love in action.”
