My father was an amazing man. He was a college athlete, a professional person, father and husband. He loved playing the piano, golf (though not very good), hunting and fishing. Most importantly, he was a very good and moral man. Of course, he was not perfect, but he made every effort to live out his life as a moral man with a love for God and others. My dad was greatly respected and held in high regard in our community. In today's first reading from Titus, the recipient of the letter was the leader of the Christian community in Crete. Among other points made, the leaders of the Church (the bishops) in Crete were encouraged to be people of unquestionable conduct and character; in other words, to be people of high moral character whose good conduct is crucial. Like my father and the leaders of the Crete Christian community, we are called to be good people where our words match our deeds. Then, how might we live our lives? Well, in today's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus reminds us of our responsibility for others. He makes three points: Notice in the Gospel passage for today, Jesus did not grant that request to the disciples, instead he emphasized the power of faith. Faith is a gift! You and I need to continue to thank God for the gift of our faith and also to pray for our faith to be deepened. Further, we need to take risks in having faith in ourselves and others. Such risks will lead us to become the person that God is calling us to become. Even when we slip up, God is there for us. Rarely would I see my dad slip up, but when he did, he would continue to forge ahead. He could do so because of God’s grace -- he believed in himself, others, and in God. If we did the same, our communities would be all the better. |