OUR SUNDAY’S IN JUNE

“Do I believe in God?” Without a thought most of us would say “Yes”! Intellectually most people believe in God by some understanding; however, functionally, many of these same people will reveal they do not believe. I believe the thought for this month should be the examination of our thoughts, lifestyle and particular behaviors to see if we really do believe? Perhaps it’s time to prioritize!

Bishop Robert Higgins, Auxiliary Bishop for the archdiocese of Military Services, was at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 101st Airborne, for Confirmation. In his homily he quizzed the young confirmands about their cell phone usage. When he asked them how many minutes these young people spoke on their cell phones, most just said “a lot.” The Bishop then told the congregation that when he asked the same question at another Confirmation, a young lady responded that she talked on the phone over 5,000 minutes a month! This is about three-and-one-half days per month spent on the phone.

“Whom do we talk to”, the bishop asked. “Our friends” the students responded. “And why do we talk to our friends?” he asked. “To get to know them better,” or “to find out what they’re doing,” or “to tell them about the stuff in our own lives” were among the answers.

“And is Jesus a friend?” Bishop Higgins asked. “Yes!” they replied. “And how much time do you spend talking to Jesus?” he asked. There were a lot of blank looks. The point was made! We work very hard to get to know our friends and harder to keep our friends. Very few people spend 5,000 minutes a month in prayer trying to get to know God, but this time is given to our friends.

God is a mystery and He wants to be discovered. Throughout the Scriptures He has revealed Himself to us. This has not stopped. Everyday God reveals Himself to us.

Our task is to open our eyes and discover God present in our lives. We must read Scriptures, we can study Theology, but truly discovering God comes down to one thing: prayer!

Two questions in our lives we must continually answer. One question is this: Who am I? Our answers are determined through our relationships – is integrity and honesty important? The second question is “Who is God?” If the answer to the first question is through my relationships, then my relationship with God is going to be very, very important to my understanding myself.

This is the challenge and the reason to prioritize: Is God the God I worship on Sunday, or the god I worship on payday? The God who calls me to serve, or the god that makes me want to be served? Time with God is essential. To know God is to know ourselves. A little less time on the phone and a bit more time with God will help us learn many things!

The Most Rev. John P. Walzer, D.D.
Archbishop