By ZOE CANNON
GRATITUDE FOR THE GIFT OF FAITH
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Are we living deeply a life with Christ? Advent is a perfect time to reflect on this question. Here we are in the last month of a challenging year for everyone. What memories will you share about the year 2020? What things do you miss about life before 2020 and before all the concerns we have dealt with over the past eight months? Our family is putting together a “time capsule” box with interesting facts, pictures and thoughts about these extraordinary days.
I am not much of a homebody; but like everyone else, I have made the most of the situation. I love reading and writing, and both have been very cathartic in these times.
The 2020 journals I have written will be quite revealing. Reading Sacred Scripture is most comforting to me. In every page from Old to New Testament, concluding with the last page of Revelations, I am reminded that God our Creator is the true physician and merciful healer.
Our salvation history has provided everything we need to prepare for life eternal. In God’s healing Temple, we receive the grace to strengthen us for the journey. I am grateful to our bishop and priests for continuing the sacraments in the Church. I pray we never forget that grace from spiritual nourishment is essential to our salvation.
The Venerable Fulton Sheen was a great patriot and theologian of the 20th century. He feared that if America were ever to collapse, it would be from within due to moral decay and abandonment of the Christian moral principles, which make America a great light for the world. Eighty years ago he said, “We are living in the days of the apocalypse, the last days of the era ... two great forces of the Mystical Body of Christ and the Mystical Body of Antichrist are beginning to draw up the battle lines for the catastrophic contest.”
Wisdom, be attentive! I have witnessed miracles by choosing to pray for God’s will! In the midst of the events in 2020, we have many different factions influencing our lives, our fears and our ability to truly feel joyful. I recently observed how much our lives have changed through the innocence of my little granddaughter. The day after Thanksgiving, our family goes to the tree farm. We look forward to the wagon ride through the fields to look for the perfect tree; with our masks and social distancing, we waited our turn to board the wagon. We entered with one other family. We took our seats, masked in silence, and our 20-month-old (the only one not wearing a mask) pointed her little finger to her chest and smiled, “I’m Molly Cannon!”
I have thought about that sweet gesture for days, and pray for the day we can be joyful again in greeting one another with visible smiles and hugs. Continue to be strong and courageous this Advent! Prepare for Jesus with the heart of a precious child. God is with you wherever you go! Amen!