FIRST HAND FAITH

 

“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