19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME AND AUGUST PRAYER, WORSHIP, MINISTRY...........

Faith, the human experience of being able to believe in the power of a supreme and divine Universal Being, that is the Lord God of All Creation and of Humankind's Salvation, is second only to the Gift of Life, in the primacy of our existence.  Living with Faith allows us to overcome the fear and weaknesses of our fallen human nature, inherent in our human condition, due to the selfishness of sin manifested in the original sin of Adam and Eve.  Fear is the exact opposite of Faith.  Fear, the worry, and destructive phobia of experiences we have a high degree of a lack of confidence in, or uncertainty with carrying out, is an antidote to Faith, and becomes incapacitating, and immobilizing, to our ability to proceed in moving forward positively and productively.  Today's Gospel Proclamation of Jesus sending His Disciples off in a boat after the feeding of the multitudes, coming to them across the waters, in the watches of the night, as the boat was being challenged by high waves; and Peter's less than successful attempt to come to Jesus by walking across the water himself, underscores the juxtaposed dichotomy, of Faith versus Fear.  One cannot experience the fruitfulness of Faith, and be held hostage to Fear.  True Faith conquers Fear; Ascendant Fear obstructs Faith's power to take unfettered hold in our lives.  In the Bible as a whole, 46 Books of Hebrew Scriptures, in the Old Testament; and 27 Books of Christian Scriptures, in the New Testament; the most repeated words woven throughout the complete compendium of Sacred Scripture are, "Fear Not", "Be Not Afraid".  Those words are spoken to us as a clear, strong, assurance, that Fear has no place in a Disciple's Witnessing, and that Faith, is our key to proactively Witnessing to Jesus The Christ, as members of His Church and citizens of this World.  May Faith, not Fear, govern your activities, and emotions today and always, as you respond to God's Call present in your lives...........Fr.  Troy