To Whom Shall We Go?

“As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

 
That question, “Master, to whom shall we go?” has informed my spiritual life for many years now. I don’t know about you dear reader, but every time I read those words I feel the stirring of the spirit in my heart. We all have favorite scripture passages and this one certainly ranks up there for me. For one thing it shows us how Jesus offers us freedom and for another it shows us one of the reasons Saint Peter was the leader of the Apostles.
 

“To whom shall we go?”

 
It shows us our own desperation for God as well doesn’t it? We so want the truth that we are drawn to Jesus because we know, instinctually, that He is that truth we seek. Saint Peter knew it. The other Apostles and so many people throughout the course of 2,000+ years of human history have come to know it. How do we put this faith in the truth into action? How do we try and make our little piece of the world into an image of the Kingdom of God?
 
One of the things we can do is work together like we did last weekend for the Old-Fashioned Family Cookout. The staff and parishioners of both parishes gathered and worked together for the unity of the collaborative and I think something great came about. It was fun to be a small part of what happened here, because the staff were the leaders on this event, it was their idea, and I want to thank them for all their hard work. It wasn’t just the staff either; it was their families too. It was beautiful to see and experience. It is my fervent hope that many more activities such as this can happen here in Walpole because unity in the Catholic community can spill over into the secular world. When people see us working together, praying together and having fun together I think they will be intrigued. With intrigue comes potential inquiry and with inquiry comes interest and with interest maybe we excite someone about getting to know and love Jesus Christ.
 
I truly believe that the Family Cookout is the beginning of a wonderful renaissance of Catholicism in our town and with more people wanting to get involved and more people wanting to practice their faith only really good things can come of this. It is an exciting time to be a Catholic in Walpole because great things are happening and will continue to happen as we unite under the banner of faith and love. Love is our Mission and we are His ambassadors!
 
Peace!