FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

We are grateful for the legacy of faith, passed down to us by our parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and people of faith who influenced our lives.

Through the passage of time many lessons we have learned may change the things we encounter, and in turn may change us. But the faith we inherit from our fathers carries an unchangeable truth upon which we can rely. Perhaps its value lies in the fact that it was born of sacrifice for us, made in covenant with us, and sent forth as a benediction to us.

I am reminded of this when I hear the priest re-enact the Last Supper:

“This is my body which will be given up for you...

this is the chalice of my blood,

the blood of the new and eternal covenant.

which will be poured out for you and for many...

Do this in memory of me.”

I think of all the things my parents did, sacrificing body and blood... time, treasure, and talent... to provide for me through their daily work, to provide for our community through their civic engagement, and to perpetuate our faith through their passing on to me its traditions and precepts.

Then I am reminded of why they made such sacrifice... why parents and families and neighbors and first responders and civil servants and philanthropists and just plain good men and women everywhere offer their time, treasure and talent in covenant with generations to come. Each of them, across time, whispers to us, “take care of your family, your friends, your community, your planet. Do it humbly and without expecting thanks. Pass it on. And when you do, remember me.”

My friend Father Mike is gifted in offering homilies after the Mass readings which invigorate our faith by bringing us into the story.  Well-known parables are stories unto themselves, but an anointed witness like Father Mike delivers a message like that of the Prodigal Son and reminds me of my foolishness, or others’ understandable frustration with me, or my parents’ unconditional love.

The benediction at the end of Mass might well be my mother’s or my father’s voice (or yours):

“Go in peace to serve God and one another.”

Personalizing the words of the Mass, or of the traditions of any faith gathering, calls us to a higher ground where our inner spirit feels anointed and sanctified. And from that higher ground we become our better selves. But as we go forward with acts of kindness, or generosity, or philanthropy, or just plain goodness, let us remember and reflect upon those whose shoulders we stand upon... those who lived and loved in simple sacrifice and honor. As we make our own unique mark on the world in which we live, we carry a bit of each lesson, each gift, each prayer that sent us forth to become who we are today.

And, of course, let us ensure that our mark is as indelible as theirs, so that our legacy may be passed, with the same impact of covenant, on those who follow.