Opening the door of faith: Through prayer

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Sarah Miller

Would you ever open the door of your home without checking to see who is on the other side? Of course not! You would check to see who is there so that you can be ready to greet them.

Even in our spiritual lives, we hesitate before opening ourselves up to the risks that are inherent in our journeys of faith. We are often tempted to shy away from that which we do not understand.

Fifth Sunday of Easter (May 9, 2004) Acts 14:21-27 Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 Rv 21:1-5a Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

In a world filled with quick answers, the idea of having faith in something that we cannot see can be overwhelming. How, then, can we remain open to God's love for each of us when that very love remains beyond our understanding?

One of the greatest ways to remain open to God's loving presence in our hearts is to pray. Prayer enables us to be attentive to the ways in which God speaks to us through the ordinary. Through prayer, our faith can be enriched in ways that we could never imagine.

In the 14th chapter of Acts, we read about how the Lord "opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" through Paul's ministry of proclaiming the Gospel. By living out God's call in his own life, Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to speak the message of God's love through him.

Even when Paul could not be with his beloved Christian communities, he remained connected to them through his own prayers of love and gratitude. This is evidenced by his message to the Christian community in Thessalonica, "We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thess. 1:2-3).

In this Easter season, challenge yourself to pray for both your friends and your enemies whenever you think of them. This will strengthen your relationships by grounding them in God's love.

When you reach for your cell phone to call an old friend, first offer a brief prayer for their well-being before you dial. As an intern, I live far away from many of my close friends. These friends are of the utmost importance to me even though I am not present with them every day.

	Reflection questions • How can I deepen my own faith in a God whom I cannot see? • How can I root my relationships in faith, hope, and love?

In order to keep my own friendships grounded in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, I try to pray for them every day and I trust that this practice connects us to each other and to the Lord.

This week I urge you to consider St. John of the Cross' prayer, "O Lord, my God, who will seek you with simple and pure love and not find that you are all one can desire." By opening the door of your own heart to the Lord, your life can be transformed in wonderful and exciting ways.

Sarah Miller is a campus ministry intern at St. Paul University Catholic Center, Madison.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell We are given gifts by God that we are expected to use not only for ourselves, but for others, for the common good. Love for neighbor in the community expresses itself in concern for the common good. A commitment to the common good extends to good citizenship and to voters' responsibilities. We are faced with making wise decisions in light of church teaching. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   "Every time we donate to a famine or disaster appeal or express concern for people unknown to us, we are acting from an instinctive awareness of our shared humanity. This solidarity lies at the heart of the notion of the 'common good,'" the Catholic bishops of England and Wales said in 2001. What is the "common good"? This basic term in contemporary Catholic thought doesn't refer just to an idea or abstraction. In a sense, the common good is something people "do." To act for the common good, we have to guard against defining our own needs in such a way that others' needs count essentially for nothing. In making decisions -- spending decisions, voting decisions, time decisions -- it means recognizing the realities of human interdependence. Pope John Paul II cautioned in a 1987 social encyclical ("Sollicitudo Rei Socialis," No 38) that the common good's demands are not met through a "vague compassion or shallow distress" at people's misfortunes. What is needed instead is a firm "determination to commit oneself ... to the good of all and of each individual because we are all really responsible for all." full story   Wise Voting and the Common Good By Father John W. Crossin, OSFS Catholic News Service Love for neighbor is essential to following Jesus. It is essential to Catholic identity. Love for others in the community expresses itself in concern for the common good. This love is pre-eminently practical. Each of us is called to act like the Good Samaritan -- to try to serve those in need in very concrete ways. Service to the unborn, the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned, the elderly -- all those in need -- is essential, not optional. In them we see Christ. full story  Our Choices Should Form the Common Good By Brian M. Kane Catholic News Service Pope John XXIII described the common good as a set of conditions in which it is possible for each of us to reach our perfection. The common good is the structure in which people can make the kinds of choices that allow them to be the persons God intended them to be. Choice is our modern culture's value. On television, in newspapers and on billboards we are given a steady stream of messages that work to influence how we choose. Each advertising pitch plays on our desires for a future we can shape and control. full story  What Are We Doing to Promote Social Justice? By Cynthia Dewes Catholic News Service Asked what they do as individuals to promote social justice, people mention work and personal efforts as well as church-sponsored opportunities. Kevin McDowell, general counsel for the Indiana Department of Education, said his job allows him to help establish a just hierarchy of values in public and private schools. He said he tries to balance the concepts of "legal," "moral" and "ethical" -- all dimensions of the common good -- in the essential teaching functions of schools. Sometimes, this involves supporting, or opposing, legislation. full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: What do you do -- within the church or other contexts -- that promotes social justice?     Selected Response From Readers:
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