Dear Friends in Christ,

There is an old saying that proclaims, "The wages of sin is death." I hear all too often God being blamed for everything that does not go well here on earth. From the loss of a job, family disputes and even when the inevitable rolls around – sickness & death – for many people, God often takes the brunt of the blame. The Book of Wisdom, our first reading this weekend, tells us a different story.

"God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being..." "For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it."

For the believers who place their faith in God, there is no real death. In Christ, death has been conquered and replaced with eternal life for those who follow in His path.

In the Gospel of Mark, we hear the tender story of Jesus not only healing Jairus' daughter, who had died, but we also hear about the poor woman who was afflicted by hemorrhages and who was healed by the mere touching of Jesus' clothes. The scripture relays that both of these individuals were healed "immediately." Thus, we are being taught that God's love for us is not a partial or tentative love. God's love is immediate and everlasting. In both circumstances, Jesus speaks about the need for faith. He told the woman who touched His clothes, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." Regarding Jairus' daughter, Jesus told him, "Do not be afraid; just have faith."

My friends, when things are not going well in your life, God is telling us to trust Him and to have faith in His love. It is all too easy to give in to the depression of the moment. In God, everything needed to live each moment in grace is always available to those who are willing to give Him their all. You might rightly say, who could live a life with that kind of trust? The truth is that none of us can live such a life of faith on our own. It is only by God's love and grace that we can live such a life in His holy presence. Scripture assures us that if we know how to give great things to our loved ones, how much more will God give the "Holy Spirit to those who ask."

Blessed be the Lord who will always care for us through this world to the eternal world prepared for those who love Him. I encourage you to "walk by faith and not by sight." Make the daily decision to not be constantly caught up in the day-to-day anxieties of life. Be a person who gives thanks to God for everything and you will know greater peace through deeper faith. May the prayer of the Psalmist be your prayer.

"Hear, O Lord, and have pity on me; O Lord be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks."

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. James Tarantino,
Pastor