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Happening ... in the Local Church
In the Scriptures, Jesus told us that the apostles and we would do things greater than he did. He also told us that with faith, we could move mountains and plant a fig tree in the sea. How could any of this be true? He raised people from the dead, cured all illnesses and diseases, and drove out demons. Now, the apostles did these things also, but none were greater than what he did. I know of no one who did greater. Since the time of the apostles, the power to do such miracles seems to have decreased.
Have we lost so much faith that we have lost the powers? To read about so many saints, the faith seems as strong as ever in many people. Perhaps it is an issue of our blindness, the failure to see the real world around us. Just as we frequently have difficulty in seeing God living and acting in our daily lives, we too frequently fail to see the mountain to be moved or the fig tree that needs replanting.
Here is my partial list of mountains and fig trees:
Faith — There are millions of Catholics who do not go to church or receive the sacraments; many, many who do not accept the basic teachings of the Church. Jesus converted thousands, but we have a mountain a hundred times larger to move.
Abortion — We have a million lives a year to bring to life. What a great wonder that would be. Jesus knew we would have such a huge mountain of hearts to move.
Immigration — He dealt with this problem in his life on earth. Yet he knew that the replanting of lives for us would be much greater and more complicated than it was for him.
Hunger — Jesus fed more than 5,000, a mere pittance of the hungry facing our country and the world. Our mountain certainly needs more than five fish and two loaves.
Violence — Yes, his way of the cross and crucifixion were most violent. We see violence every day and need not look outside our diocese to find it.
Can I move one of these mountains? I think not. But we can do so together. It has taken years of prayer, marches and demonstrations, yet finally the hatefulness of abortion has begun to erode under the onslaught of love. How many fewer hungry people and sick children are there in Haiti, because of the love and dedication of the men and women of just our diocese? There is a Cursillo saying, “Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend.” Change the word “friend” to “Catholic” and how long will it take to fill our churches with loving, faithful Catholics? Listen to our bishop through the next several weeks and learn more about immigration. If we can replace agendas with understanding and fear with love, in short, what Jesus would do, we can find a solution to these problems.
Every one of us has a part to play. Most importantly, every one of us has to pray. Let us all come together as a community of loving, dedicated children of God. Let us storm the halls of heaven with our prayers and the fullness of our lives.
This guest editorial was written by James Coker, an attorney and parishioner of St. Mary, Anderson.