Day 5: Faith Mission
The 5th day novena mass was con celebrated by Rev. Fr. Mark Michael with Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Dom and Assistant Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Louis. The focus was on ‘faith mission”.
Homily
Fr. Mark began his sermon with an anecdote of a man who sought employment at various places. He finally settled for a job that would pay him good benefits after retirement. He chose to be in the army. He was happy fulfilling the basic requirement of his job in the absence of war but unfortunately when war broke out, he was shot and killed. His intention in choosing the job was not to serve the country but rather for his own benefit.
He then threw a few probing questions to the congregation. Are we also fulfilling basic requirements to enter heaven, by attending Sunday masses? If our faith in the person of Jesus bearing fruit or are we like the fig tree (Mat 21: 19-22) just full of leaves?
He said that life of faith is an everyday commitment. Faith is going into the unknown and making extraordinary decisions that the world cannot understand. Mary was a woman of faith, she accepted the will of God and trusted in God. She knew that she could be stoned to death for conceiving a child out of wedlock and the possibility of rejection from Joseph. Nevertheless, she accepted her call placing her trust in God and treading the unknown. Courage to accept God’s will and reject the worldly call comes from being connected to God.
He lamented on our current lifestyle that is influenced and misled by social media, advertisement about what happiness is in life. We are so disengaged, he sighed. If we are connected to God, we would not hesitate to live our lives differently than where the world leads us. Faith is bringing God into all dimensions our lives. If we are parents, we need to exercise our authority to nurture our kids in the right direction. Put a stop to addiction to phones and social media. At work, we need to fulfill our duties with responsibility and care.
“We are the salt of the earth” he exhorted. Faith is an internal truth reflected in a disciplined life. Faith is living in the peace of God. We all struggle in prayer. Prayer is not just reciting the common prayers but rather entering into the presence of the Lord. It is spending time with Lord and listening to him. Jesus always withdrew from the crowd to a quiet place to engage with His Father in heaven. He urged the congregation to do the same.
Fr. Mark then suggested to the congregation to spend at least 10 minutes in prayer with the Lord every morning. He said to be truthful to the Lord, talk to him as you would talk to a friend. Be connected and bring God into all dimensions of our lives.
Fellowship
