For the Love of Us All

SEPTEMBER 13^th, 2012

FIRST HAND FAITH

In the IVth chapter

Of Saint John’s Gospel

Jesus tells the story

Of a meeting

With a Samaritan woman

At the well

He tells her

He is the Messiah

But not to tell anyone

Of course she does

But her friends

Come to believe in Jesus

Not only on her word

But because they too

Experience Jesus for themselves

All faith and all knowledge

Starts out as second hand

Because we first learn of it

From someone

Or something else

The great Catholic bishop

Bishop Fulton Sheen

Was once asked

If he had speech writers

He said, of course

“Matthew, Mark, Luke and John”

All of us

Have those same speech writers

And just because our knowledge

Is second hand

Does not mean

It is second rate

And just because

Our faith starts out

As second hand

It does not remain that way

By internalizing our faith

Into the everyday fabric

Of our lives

And by sharing our faith with others

In fact

Our faith does become first hand

Faith makes us

Strong, loving, and wise

And having our faith

And sharing our faith

Means we are

Never alone

We will ALWAYS have God

And the love

And faith of each other

Robert P. Wallman

7-22-10

Ps        Inspired by the teaching of Father Leo Clifford

“Listen to me O Jacob

Israel-whom I have called

I am he:

I am the FIRST and I am the last”                                              Isaiah 48:12

“We love because he FIRST loved us”                                          1 John 4:19

“When I saw him-I fell at his feet

As though dead

Then he placed his right hand on me and said

“Do not be afraid-I am the FIRST and the last”                        Revelations 1:17