How Can I Know If I Have Faith?

How Can I Know it’s the question we have been asking now for almost a month - and maybe for some - for a longer period of time in their life. You see life has lots of doubts and questions, and yet faith is an essential element to answering so many of them. That is why this Year of Faith announced by our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI is so very important. It is a call to a New Evangelization, it is an invitation to Re Discover the Joy of our Faith. It is a chance to remove the stumbling blocks (Mark 9:, 30-37, 38-48) that prevent us from truly becoming who God is calling us to be, and arriving where He desires us to be, with Him in Heaven. So we started by asking “How Can I know if I can start over if I Blew It?”, then we asked “How can I know if there is a God ?” and last week we asked “How Can I know If I am Thankful?” and this of course leads to where we are at now, continuing to desire to seek, find, knock and have the door of faith opened. But wait a minute, “How Can I know If I Have Faith?”

In the Gospel today (Mark 10:17-30) a young man comes to Jesus and says “what must I do to inherit eternal life”. Isn’t that what we would say too. Think of it, if we had been that young man with an opportunity to meet Jesus on the street, would that not be the eternal question we would ask? As the young man approaches Jesus you can sense in his question that seeking, knocking, searching that we have been talking about. It is around us everywhere.

People have more questions today then ever before. They wonder more, they inquiry more, they desire more. Yet we can’t presume that the content of our faith is accepted in our culture anymore, but what we can know is that people are desiring the Word of God more than ever, and its relevance is as profoundly needed as it has ever been. But in order to communicate it, we have to believe it, understand it and we have to live it authentically. Faith is not a routine.

So what is Faith - and how do I know if I have it?

Several months back I was travelling to New York when in the airport a gentleman who was sitting in the same departure lounge as I, came to me and said “Hey Father”. I looked at him, not recognizing him but believing that he was a Catholic, or at least should be one, I replied back. In a very chummy way he then asked “So where are you going?”, I replied back, “ Well to New York, are you?”. “Yep” was his replied, but somewhat subdued. Then came the moment. “I’m going for my nephew’s First Communion”. But his statement was not one of joy. I replied “Well that’s great”. His retorted “well maybe for you”. He continued, “ I am only going because it is my kid brother’s kid, and plus, my mother called me and said I should be there”. Our conversation continued briefly but what became so clear was that he not only had questions, he also had a lot of misconceptions.

So what is Faith - and how do I know if I have it? Three things if we are going to answer that.

1. We must ensure we are not “Prophets of Misfortune”: In the Gospel of today Jesus challenges the young man to go and sell all he had, and then come and follow Christ. Truly a challenge but certainly a sign of faith. What do we hold on to?

- what possession keeps us from surrendering to the Lord?

- what persons can stand in the way of us embracing Christ?

- what principle have we made for our life, not based in Christ, that is a stumbling block to embracing His will for our life?

- what prophetic wisdom of our own creation are we announcing which conflicts with the true Prophetic Word of Christ?

So often what stops us from living faith - well - is us! We want something our way, we desire to hold on to something for ourselves, we embrace a concept that we have created - about God, about our world, about a person, about the Church - and we say this is the way it is ! Never discussing or discerning with God in prayer if it is our truth or His! So our lives become, as Pope John XXII said on the opening day of the Second Vatican Council, the life of a prophet of misfortune.

So what is Faith - and how do I know if I have it?

2. We must ensure we are Established for Evangelization -"Evangelium" – "euangelisasthai" [Greek: "to preach the Gospel"] (cf. Lk 4:18). Anyone who has worked with me in the past 15 years of my priesthood knows that there are two phrases you can’t say around me “This project is impossible, or we have never done this before”.

In the Gospel of today - Peter came to Jesus somewhat frustrated and said Lord we have left everything and you want more.... well Jesus was calling the Apostles and Disciples even then to a new way - a deeper way - a way of developing an enthusiasm for our faith and inviting others to hear the message of salvation.

The New Evangelization, which actually started with Vatican II, has been a call by Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to not only witness to those who have never heard of Jesus, but also to represent Jesus to those who are nominal in their faith. It is a call to be a speaker of God’s word, and to give a reason for the hope within you. (cf. 1 Peter 3:15) Today’s second reading from Book of Hebrew’s is powerful “ the word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4: 12-13). We must be willing to make time to share what we have, and to re discover the joy of the faith we have. We have to ensure that no one gets lost in the crowd, everyone finds a place, and that there is not only something, but a place for everyone.

The words at the end of Mass “Go the Mass Has Ended” are not instructions giving permission to charge out to the parking lot and be the first in line at Timmy’s, or the stage direction for the choir to begin singing - they are a challenge to now go live what you have heard and been nourished in!

So what is Faith - and how do I know if I have it?

3. We must Set Ourselves Up for Success - Pope Benedict XVI at the conclusion of the First Session of the Synod of Bishops called to begin this New Evangelization and commence the Year of Faith, said to us that there are two keys which we must have to unlock the faith - “confessio” and “ caritas” or translated - Word and Action!

This is why the Catholicism Project we are offering as part of our Tuesday Night Together is so important - and one I hope you participate in. This is why our Lectio Divina as part of Sunday Night Vespers is so vital. Both of these give us a chance to unlock the treasure of our faith and put into action a deeper understanding of Him and His Word and how it applies to our daily life. If you are not participating in these then I ask you this - what are you doing then for the Year of Faith - it can’t be the same old - this year calls us to more! By saying we want more, our faith will be seen.

This year, the Holy Father is asking us to walk through the door of faith. As we deepen our understanding of the content of our faith, we will learn more fully what Jesus did for us on the cross and how he wants us to live. What’s more, as we grow in a “living recognition of the Lord Jesus, present in our lives” (Porta Fidei, 13).

This Year of Faith is about a little bit more...more of the Lord

This Year of Faith, is about answering “How Can I Know?”.

This Year of Faith is about inquiring and giving a little bit more to your life of faith - that which matters.

This Year of Faith is about growing a little bit more

If we are certain, that we are not “Prophets of Misfortune”, ensure we are Established for Evangelization, set Ourselves Up for Success, then unlike the young man in the Gospel we do not walk away sad, but do in fact, in the end, inherit eternal life.

How Can I Know If I Am Thankful?

The Year of Faith which begins on October 11th marks the 50th anniversary of the 2nd Vatican Council - a monumental event in the life of the Church. The days following the Council, like some occasions even today, caused the People of God to question events - in the world and in the Church.

This series How Can I Know is about addressing doubts and questions so that we can enter the Year of Faith focussed without stumbling blocks (Mark 9:, 30-37, 38-48). Two weeks ago we asked “How Can I know if I can start over if I Blew It?” Last week we asked “How do you know if there is a God ?”. We continue in our desire to seek, find, knock and have the door of faith opened.

As we mark Thanksgiving - and as our Gospel this weekend (Mark 10:2-16) speaks to us about the richness of life and faith found within the gift of the Sacrament of Marriage and the innocence of childhood, we invite ourselves to ask “How Can I know If I am Thankful?”

Now, Thanksgiving is often marked by family gathering and good food! The thanksgiving meal is a staple of the weekend and so off shopping I went. I have to tell you though that to get to the grocery store at times is a challenge. The entrance to parking lots at times seems to be the exit location of common sense. People drive hap hazardously and seem to enter a zone that makes them unaware of other human beings in their midst. The pursuit of the last mango, potato chip bag or yogurt container on the shelf seems to be as vital as the air we breath. The grocery list becomes marching orders from a commander with dire consequences if unfinished! Or so it seems.

Well this week had one of those occasions, for it seemed to me that I met a lot of very driven personalities that day whose manners were left at the gathering spot of the shopping carts. As I arrived at the cash register, exhausted from the experience of trying to find three things on my grocery list, I took a deep breath. As I waited, I became entertained by a conversation between a little boy and his mother who were ahead of me in the register line. Obvious visitors to the city they spoke of how this grocery store was more ample than the one in their hometown. They listed everything they had seen, and then the little boy said - DID YOU SEE ALL THE TURKEY’S? I thought to myself - you bet I saw all the turkey’s - even got almost trampled by some of them!

Turkey’s are around us in life - they are not just in grocery store freezers

• they are that person who tells lies about you and speaks ill of you.

• they are that family member or friend who needles you because they are jealous of you.

• they are that person who feels entitled and judges you and is hurtful toward you

• they are that stranger who just says the wrong thing or that person who knows the right thing to say just to get at you or that individual who is holding a grudge and has it in for you.

Sometimes those “turkey’s” even gather with us at Thanksgiving and not on the table, but around the table seated with us. We all have moments in our life when we stop and we say Did you See All the Turkey’s! So when Thanksgiving comes around we ask ourselves - How Can I Know If I am Thankful?

I am a big lists fellow. I start my day with a list of things I wish to accomplish and get pretty happy when the day moves along and I can click them off on my list. But the opposite happens too - I find myself a bit disappointed if my list has lots to do still left on it by the end of the day. If our approach to thankfulness is list orientated - well - we are sometimes going to see what’s lost and left. That is why there really is two types of thankfulness

There is Secondary Thanksgiving - or what I call - “The Grocery List” of Thanksgiving. It is when we live life by coming up with a list of what we have: my investment portfolio had done well, my job is fulfilling, my family is healthy, my school work is satisfying, my health is fabulous, my looks are movie star status, my clothes are the latest, my toys are the greatest. So we turn to God and say thanks for this, for the good things we have. But the opposite of course is true - if any of these things are not on the list - thankfulness is not!

But as people of faith we are called to Primary Thanksgiving. This is a deeply found gratitude for God Himself - or what I call “ A Habit of Thanksgiving”. It is a seeded sense that develops within us a call to be a people of gratitude. We are called to get our eyes off of the list, the lot or the little, but to consider His greatness, His Majesty, His Blessing. Its that sense which the author of our First Reading (Genesis 2.7, 15, 18-24) speaks of when reflecting upon the creation of God and its ultimate connection to us.

So, “How Can I know If I am Thankful?”, well I guess by asking yourself if you focus on a list of lot or little or if you focus on a daily attitude each day which see gratefully the very creation which God has given us - little or lot - and rejoices in its very presence, is very nature. Do you see all the Turkey’s or do you appreciate all the blessings? Will your thanksgiving be ruined if one person says the wrong thing or will your thanksgiving be blessed by the very habit of just getting together? Primary Thanksgiving is what people of faith celebrate. Here is what I mean.

If for example, I have a cheque in my hand $1,440 and I have another which I will give, and another that I will give, and choose to do so every single day for the rest of your life. - Padre’s Cash for Life! - would you take it ? There is only one thing - you have to spend it all - totally everyday. None of it can be left over - none of it can be saved for the next day. You have to use it fully, totally anyway you want - except - none can be saved for the next day. One day it will stop - but you don’t know when - but for now you get $1440 daily. Would you take it ?

Most of us would be thankful for that - we’d accept - here is the thing - we already have something of that value its minutes in a day - exactly the same number 1440 and God gave them to us with that same agreement. We have to use them everyday. How we use them demonstrates if we are thankful. Ask yourself how you use them? Is it in a spirit of loss (the turkey’s too them) or a spirit of thankfulness ( God gave them)?

How Can I know If I am Thankful?

• Do you focus too much on the turkey’s or the list?

• Do you use every minute to the best of your ability or let the Turkey’s take them from you?

So this Thanksgiving - focus not on the turkey’s but the banquet, the harvest the blessing. If you do - your whole life will be one where you will know you are thankful!

How Can I Know If There is a God?

I was baptized when I was two days old. Received First Communion when I was 7 years old and Confirmed when I was 13 years old. Ordained a priest when I was 29 years old. I made a vow to be faithful to Him at that time. I speak and write a great deal about God. I talk to God in the morning, at night, and during the day. And at times life’s events make me question Him. I am sure that if we are honest, there are times and moments when we question the existence of God.

I know there are people who say they never do, yet the depth of our doubt is often in proportion to the depth of our faith. It is ok to question at times so that our relationship with God is not just rooted in tradition and culture but rooted in a desire to walk with the one who Loves Us, Created Us and is With Us right now ! There is no doubt He is !

This series How Can I Know is about resolving our doubts. Sometimes we are embarrassed about our belief and even more so about our questions. Sometimes our embarrassment leads us to live in doubt because we are no more interested in the answer than a thief is interested in finding a policeman. But to ask is to find the answer. To seek is to succeed in a search. To knock is to have a door opened. (c.f. Matthew 7:7).

How do you know if there is a God ? What causes the Doubt? These stumbling blocks in our Gospel last weekend and this weekend (Mark 9:, 30-37, 38-48). Well there are many types of doubts but maybe we could group them a little:

1. Natural Doubts - As children we are told of the tooth fairy - parents help her out - even Santa Claus.  As we mature we grow in our understanding of them, a natural progression takes place when we think of their role. So too in faith, it must grow and progress. If it does not, then our understanding of faith remains the same, and as we grow in the challenges of years, it leads us to doubt, and so we come to a wrong conclusion, because our faith has not developed with our age - we believe like kids and yet live as adults. This is why its important to constantly grow in the faith and if we don't then we doubt.

2. Philosophical Doubts - We see events in life and we begin to wonder - Why would God let people suffer? Questions that are hard to grasp, or that we struggle with, and we don’t have the answer, and some quit believing instead of continue walking.

3. Experiential Doubt - We are prisoners of what we experience. If we are never introduced to God then we might not know Him. If we have lived through a disappointment - we think the reality of an un answered prayer means there is no God.

4. Empirical Doubt - We are looking for proof, we want substance, something like Thomas “unless I touch the mark the nails made, put my hand in His side, I will not believe”(John 20. 19-31). We want faith to fit the scientific method.

So can I prove the existence of God - well there is a difference between proof and evidence. Sometimes people don’t want to accept evidence. Let me illustrate what I mean.

Earlier this week, as I was preparing this message, I sat in my study - working - and I heard someone typing on the keyboard in the office next to me. I concluded that this was my secretary Paula. How could I prove that it was her,  if I did not see her, from where I was? Well the evidence was there. Her office is next to mine, I had just talked to her a moment before, the only time anyone else is there is if she is on vacation and I knew she was not. So the evidence says it was her - could I prove that or see her from my very seat - no - it could have been Prime Minister Harper typing, but the evidence argued strongly against it.

Sometimes people don’t want to accept evidence, and even when they get it they will not change their postion. Like the man who went to see his psychiatrist and said “ Doctor I am afraid I am dead.” The doctor replied “You are not dead”. “Yes I am” said the patient. “You can’t be dead.” the doctor replied. “I am dead and there is nothing you can do about it” the patient said. Well, the doctor said “ Do dead men bleed?” “No” replied the patient” and at this the doctor took a little pocket knife, nicked the patients finger and he began to bleed ,at which the patient replied, “ Wow, look at that, dead men do bleed”.

There is evidence for the existence of God:

1. Cosmological Evidence - Why is there something rather nothing. Changes leaves on a tree, grass, stars, plants. There are something, where did they come from? Those who say there is no God believe in a formula - that No one x nothing = evidence. But there must be a first cause. Everything has a cause - nothing can not become something on its own.

2. Existence Evidence - we want something more than ourselves. We yearn for relationships. We know there is something more than ourselves. We want friends, we want accompaniment and once a challenge comes that is beyond what we can handle it, we want something supernatural - why? Because we know there is. Our desire for God is the most compelling evidence for God! Even those who do not believe in Him work hard to disprove Him because they know He is there!

3. Historical Evidence - Jesus died over 2000 years ago - the event has been historically proven, people have accepted it and even at times people have believed when they did not have to believe - when it was not in their interests to believe - martyrs in our faith. Over time, doubts have been expressed - scientific, historical, mythological - each and every time - the doubt was answered - and people have witnessed for Him - why have so many million of people given their life for God? Its simple, He is !

How can I know if there is a God is not a cause for proof but evidence. Everyday we make decisions to remove stumbling blocks in our lives. The amount of evidence we require depends on the importance of the decision.

Last night I went out with a friend of mine. We stopped in for a drink - let’s call it Ice Tea. We got the same one and the hostess brought over the tray and both looked exactly the same. It got me thinking. Now what if with that ice tea, if one of us had asked for sweetened and the other for unsweetened tea - but she forgot which was which. Given that neither of us is diabetic, probably we would be willing to take a risk and drink either one. But if she says accidentally a poison tablet fell into one and she can’t remember which one - we would want to check the evidence carefully before drinking it - and neither of us would be willing to take a sip of either of them for proof.

More actions in our life - moral especially - flow from the affirmation of God than from denial. Before you say there is no God you’d better have a lot of proof - and there is none - because the evidence says there is. The great things about a life of faith, and our God, is He allows us to ask “How can I know?” And yet still permits us to say “ I Can Believe”.

How Can I Know If I Can Start Over When I Blew it?

We just finished a series of reflections upon the question of “Right Living”. We all want to live according to God’s plan for us - becoming who He is calling us to be. The steps of Watching, Willing & even Whistling, help us to walk with a stride permitting the Spirit of God to Speak to us. But what happens in so many of our lives in the midst of the “speaking” is that doubt and questions come in.

 The neighbour next to us comes over one night and tells us that their marriage is not working, their house is going up for sale - life changed. As they walk away you ask - how can I know that will not happen to me?

 The person we sit with at the lunchroom table at school or even the office, tells us a family member has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer, we see the fear in their eyes. How can I know that will not happen to me?

 Your best friend from high school meets up with you. It has been years since you connected. Wow, they look fit, they seem happy, goals are met, success is in their corner - how come I don’t feel the same way. How can I know the reason why this did not happen to me?

How Can I Know?

If we are honest with ourselves we ask that question a lot. Of ourselves, of our family and friends and even of God. Sometimes, regretfully, the answers do not come to us as quickly, or even in the format, we want. Sometimes, actually a lot of the time, it requires us to have - well - faith! How can I know if I have faith?

This summer, I found myself asking that question in light of experiences friends were having, family was going through, people in our parish were struggling with, and it resulted in a prayer which revolved around 4 basic questions which I think will lead us well into the start of the Year of Faith

How I can I know................... if I can start over when I blew it ?

.....if there is a God?.............. if I am really thankful?.........if I have and am growing in faith?

So let’s allow God’s Word, and His Holy Eucharist, touch that doubt for us, answer those questions for us, and maybe even heal us as we ask these important questions together over the next four weeks.

Have you ever had a moment when you said to yourself - "Wow I blew it !" Maybe it was a conversation, maybe it was a choice, maybe it was a conduct. I think we can all say yes to that. If not - well - there is a small pedestal in the Visitation Gardens that does not yet have a statue I guess yours should be there cause you must be a saint. We all have moments where we blew it ! We miss the mark - the bulls eye. Maybe it was a small thing, or maybe a life altering event - a divorce, an addiction, a termination, and when we realize we blew it we stand, or so we think, in the ash heap of a ruined life and wonder - now what? Well, I got some bad news and some good news to share with you; bad news - can not erase the past - no rewind button. The good news - we are not products of our biography - failure is not the final chapter.

One of the things that happens when we realize that we blew it is that we ask ourselves one of two things : Can I fix this ? Can I hide this ? The one we choose to go with says a lot not only about our character, but also a lot about our image of God and faith.

★ You see if we believe that God can handle it, remedy it and forgive it - then faith is there.

★ If we want to say - hide it - then it is because we are ashamed, but also because we are not assured that God can tackle this one.

We call that the stumbling block that was mentioned in our Gospel (Mark 9:38-48). There are a number of stumbling blocks in our lives of faith:

Pride - that feeling that how others perceive us so much more important that who we really are.

Self Reliance - that choice that says we feel we don’t need anyone else - I got this - I can handle this.

Unresolved Relationships - hurts from our past that we didn’t get over - somebody let us down - ain’t going to happen again we say

A& W (not the burger place) - Anxiety and Worry - that dreaded question we have examined before “What if?” It takes away our peace.

Fear - we are afraid of the consequences and being discovered for our mistakes (reputations)

Bitterness - Something we are holding on to - bottling a poison conversation or conduct from yesterday and drinking it today. Recording a mental image of yesterday on our "I pod" and playing it today (Example - Gossip !)

James in our 2nd Reading (5:1-6) and even Moses in our 1st Reading (Numbers 11:25-29) speak about the way to get past these and to allow the faith we do have to move us forward:

1. Admitting our Mistakes - When we make a mistake we entering into a life altering lament - “its over”..."if only I had". Yet we fail to realize that we all possess a virus - its called Sin - it comes into our life and we need Reconciliation. When we admit that we let God’s Spirit in. “Yes Lord, I totally blew it !” “ I am doorknob, a goof, ....” because if we don’t admit our mistake we are in a prison cell. We carry a guilt, a resentment, an embarrassment that turns our character from:

- spouse to sparing partner

- friend to foe

- sibling to stranger

- loving parent to loathing person

If we let that stumbling block stop us from the Faith God calls us to our spiritual life becomes a target - and more errors come, more envy arrives, more false unreasonable expectations of self and others mountain around us, we end up drinking the "Kool Aid" of becoming a wounded person, a bitter friend, an angry spouse or child. But if we say to God - I blew it - and I want to correct it your way - then Ok - we walk not with a stumbling block of pride, self reliance.....but with a walking stick of faith that will help us climb any mountain. It takes eating crow, it requires humbling ourselves, if might mean some big changes and short term pain - but yes He will get me you thru this, and not alone - but with the support of small groups, people of faith, prayer partners, services like our neighbourhood ministry.

2. Accept an Intermission and Get Ready for Act 2

A period of time between your failure and your future. We don’t like those. We want to jump from one thing into another. Remember the story of Peter denying Jesus. At one moment Peter is in the court yard of the Jewish leaders and he denies Christ three times. Wow - Peter blew it. But he admit what he did, and accepted an intermission, seven weeks later Peter is in the centre of the city - following Pentecost - proclaiming Jesus is Risen and He is Lord. That takes surrender.

This intermission replenishes us emotionally, and physically, and is a time to reflect on our failure - not wallow in them, but to approach reconciliation with God in His Sacrament. One of the troubles is the feeling we have here in Church we feel here and leave it here. But God wants to take us from here and take that feeling to there - the world, live in that emotion, power, thought of His will and way. It must be that thing that drives us every day.

So - how can you know if you have can start over if you blew it. Ask yourself are their stumbling blocks in your way ? What are they ? Pride, self reliance, unresolved relationship, a & w, bitterness?

Are you willing to surrender?

Let me finish with this. I was at Zehrs last week - getting some groceries. I tend to go a bit later in the evening - mostly because that is when I have time - and I can go pretty quick as well. I was staring at the Dorito and Potato Chip shelves - a small glimpse of heaven on earth - when a gentleman came up and asked if I was the priest at St Mary’s. "Yes" I replied. "I have always wanted to ask you something", he said. Here I thought - deep theological question, moment to bring back a lost sheep, occasion to testify to Christ....deep breath...you got this Padre! “I am not a Catholic” he said. “But I have always wanted to know” “Yes, a new member” I thought! Then he goes on, “Why is it that in front of your church you fly a white flag, looks like you guys are surrendering.” I composed myself - didn’t want the disappointment to show. But then replied. "Well, it has our parish logo of Mary and Elizabeth, shows the Visitation, but actually, we have surrendered, to God. His will is our way and its that simple really."

So - how can you know if you have can start over if you blew it. Are you willing to surrender - not give up - but surrender your stumbling block and let God make it a building block - right living - to His truth and permitt Him a period of intermission toward the second act - to becoming who He is calling you to be !