‘Is it against the law’ he asked ‘to cure a man on the sabbath, or not?’ But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day without hesitation?’ And to this they could find no answer.
Stories of Truth!
We do some things by habit. We make the Sign of the Cross out of habit. We do it when we pass a cemetery. We do it before grace at meals. We dip our finger in Holy Water as we enter Church. We make the Sign of the Cross before and after we say a Rosary. We do it out of habit, but we also do it in humble recognition of the Holy Trinity. We receive Grace and Blessing every time we make the Sign.
On October 21st one of my wife, Anna’s, and my friends gave an evening talk on Faith in her life at a Church night for people giving witness to their lives. Her name is Maria. Her parents lived in Spain in the 1930’s under the Fascist regime of Franco. At this time there was political and religious oppression in Spain. Maria’s parents left Spain and emigrated to Peru. They hid a family crucifix in some bed linen that was a symbol of their faith and commitment to Catholic values. In 1940 Maria was born. She flourished there and when the war was over her parents sent her back to Spain to have a religious education. She came back to Peru and met and married a young doctor from the United States. She spoke of faith and her comment said, “Faith soon became more than something poured into me; it became something I longed to pour out for others. ……Service ceased to feel like a duty and instead became joy – the natural expression of a hear touched by God.” In the US her faith was tested when her husband was shot by a mentally ill patient. Her Faith and commitment to God never varied.
There is something of Maria in you and me.
Saint Paul says, What I want to say now is no pretense; I say it in union with Christ – it is the truth – my conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too. Sometimes we have to think outside the box. The Holy Spirit leads us. One of my priests in Florida once gave us a scenario that if a long-time relative or friend came to town and you only had the option of spending time with then or going to Sunday Mass, then he said that that the only human option was to spend time with them. Please note that he was not saying going to Sunday Mass was okay. My wife the nurse and me the postal clerk and Army veteran had to work many Sunday’s in our lives. This was hypothetical but realistic. We have rules and those rules must be kept, but we are also human and sometimes rules are broken for the right reasons. Helping others that go against those rules.
Jesus in our Gospel was looking to cure someone to improve their physical and spiritual wellbeing. I will leave you with some of the concluding words of Maria’s talk. “Faith has carried me from the cradle to this present hour. It has carried me through war and migration, through danger and healing, through the cross of loss and the joy of new life. It has been the thread weaving my story together, the song that underlies every chapter. And so, I testify: faith though unseen, is the most powerful presence in our lives. It is the hand of God guiding, the voice of God whispering, the heart of God sustaining. It is the gift that has sustained me still -and the gift I entrust to you.” If you are interested in her talk please connect the following link. https://www.churchofsaintmary.com/…/sips-stories-maria…
https://www.churchofsaintmary.com/…/sips-stories-maria…
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Pope Leo XIV. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace! The impossible could and can happen. (Saint Rita) Never deny God! Pray for justice for immigrants! Pray for justice for our President and all government officials!
