Zoe Cannon
Gratitude for the Gift of Faith
“Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons the next generation” (Joel 1:3).
God tells us His story in the Bible. Jesus used parables to teach and confirm God’s plan for eternal life. The Holy Spirit gives us counsel and comfort. Our Triune God narrates a perfect story throughout salvation history.
When people meet, they often tell stories about life; providing information about who we are, where we came from, or sharing our hopes and dreams for the future. Telling stories brings people together; and very often, we find an unexpected connection with others in the process. Sharing events and stories about this current time in history will be very important. We do a disservice to future generations when we change, erase or ignore history. There is nothing gained by rewriting life events to suit a specific narrative.
I read a book titled “A Bridge In Babylon—Stories of a Military Chaplain in Iraq,” written by Owen R. Chandler. He wrote this book of stories to help build relationships between the military and civilian worlds. This was my favorite line in the book: “Shared stories create relationships, and relationships create bridges. When bridges are crafted in prayer, they become sacred avenues of hope between the unlikely, the courageous, the broken, and the searching.” This is exactly what we need in our broken culture today – sacred avenues of hope!
Our society has been divided in ways we could never imagine. It is not about politics, but ideology, and our individual thoughts about life and faith. I believe it is safe to say we have all encountered difficulty in relationships with friends and family members over societal changes that lingered for decades, but have intensified over the past two years. We are created as unique individuals with great purpose in the eyes of God, each relevant to His plan.
Chandler’s book is about the hardships of real physical war, and how lives were affected or lost in the battle. Today, we are in a real spiritual battle for souls! We may debate semantics, ideology, science, religion, everything; but we need unity to survive this war. A Military Chaplain counsels and comforts the men and women in the disordered world of war.
The Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is our counsel and comfort in a disordered society. The sacraments empower us as Christians to face any struggle in our earthly journey. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a powerful way to begin healing relationships, especially our relationship with God.
“The Flame of Love” is another great book written as a Spiritual Diary by Elizabeth Kindelmann. She lived a challenging life during the Communist nationalization of Hungary in 1948. Her diary actually begins on July 13, 1960, the beginning of her religious experience that introduced her to God’s presence.
Elizabeth was a lay Carmelite; and on July 16, 1961, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, she experienced a very decisive moment. Our Lord revealed to Elizabeth that the renewal of the earth would take place through the power of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her diary, written under Communism, is proof that God’s Spirit breathes where souls are open to Him.
Our Lord gave this beautiful prayer to Elizabeth as an effective weapon against Satan: “May our feet journey together. May our hands gather in unity. May our hearts beat in unison. May our souls be in harmony. May our thoughts be as one. May our ears listen to the silence together. May our glances profoundly penetrate each other. May our lips pray together to gain mercy from the Eternal Father. Amen.” Like the authors of these two books, I pray you will share your life stories. Be courageous; and may your witness be pleasing to God. Amen!