Two weeks ago at Mass, I asked each of us a question: Does your faith bring you into contact with God? Does your faith make a difference in your life, in how you experience the world around you, and within you? Do you have an ongoing sense of God’s Presence in you, or do you feel alone, apart from God?
Now I ask you little question based on our readings last week. Let’s see who can guess the answer. Why did Naaman the Syrian want dirt? Naaman says to the prophet Elisha, “Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.” What is the connection between dirt and worshipping the LORD?
And now my note: An anniversary is an occasion to remember milestones in one’s life, and to recall the original event with gratitude. Today I remember 15 October 1988, the day I was ordained a Catholic priest. My sense of being a priest, and what it means to me, came vividly to mind this past week as I visited a former parishioner from Great Falls who is dying. The family honored me by asking me to pray for their mother, Rose, and we prayed the Last Rites. Priesthood is not a matter of status or possession, but a means to help others in time of spiritual need. In loving service one feels gratitude and joy in God.
