For the Love of Us All

WITNESS

5-31-13

“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/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

It 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 becomes 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        Witness        May 31^st, 2013

“For it is by GRACE you have been saved-THROUGH FAITH-and this

NOT from yourselves-it is the GIFT of God-NOT by works-so that no one can boast

For we are God’s workmanship-created-in Jesus Christ to do good works-which God

Prepared in advance for us to do”

Ephesians 2:8-10