Keep the Faith!

How often do we look up at the sky and say, "Dear God, give us a break!"?

I must admit, I have been praying that a lot lately, as these anxious days take a toll on my faith. How do we keep the faith when there appears to be no end in sight for the challenges we face?

Let's not get stuck in a vicious cycle. If we do not work to keep our faith, our troubles will get tougher to handle as we lose touch with God's grace. Without God's grace, our faith weakens. As our faith weakens, we are less likely to reach out for God's help, and more likely to be overwhelmed by the troubles we face. Thinking about it makes my head spin!

So what can we do to break this cycle and keep our faith strong? Our Blessed Mother invites us to pray the Rosary every day. When we pray the Rosary devoutly, Mary promises her special protection, and we shall not be overwhelmed by misfortune. What's more, Our Lady of the Rosary promises we shall grow in grace and become worthy of eternal life.

Commitment

Our commitment to the Rosary is more than a commitment to prayers of petition and thanksgiving. The mysteries of the Rosary show us God's love made manifest in Jesus Christ and given to us by way of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer and contemplation, we are drawn into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life which teaches us how to live.

We learn that we are called to sanctify our families, instill faith into our children, follow Christ's teachings, offer up our joys, works, and sorrows to God, and consecrate our lives to our Lord. The greater our commitment, the greater the grace we receive to strengthen our faith for our daily living and to help those who are struggling. Remaining faithful to God keeps hope alive particularly when we are sorely tested.

True, many Rosaries have been offered up since the onslaught of the coronavirus and social unrest; yet, based on what is in the news each day, one cannot help but question if God is even listening. Perhaps we should be asking: are we listening to God? Our troubles come as society grows less trusting and more secular, more distant from God and all of His graces.

Amend Our Ways

When Mary appeared before three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917, Our Lady shared the word of God's love, mercy, and forgiveness. If we do not listen—if we do not allow the word of God into our being—how can we keep the faith? Lack of faith can diminish God's miraculous power, according to Father Andrew Apostoli, who authored "Fatima for Today".

Consider Fatima's miracle of the spiraling sun on October 13, 1917. As spectacular as it was, the miracle would have been greater if more people believed and prayed. The people in Fatima did have faith in God, but there also was great opposition. Are we not seeing such opposition today as secularism increases?

Therefore, let us amend our ways according to God's will and commit to praying the Rosary especially to help those in most need of God's mercy. Keeping the faith keeps God's love in our world and gives us hope because with His love we are saved. Amen!