Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    Those things which are meant to make life easier have very often made life more complicated and introduced an anxiety unknown in earlier days. Everything now is computerized and trying to speak to a real person, even if they make mistakes, regarding billing is frustrating.  The consequence of this breeds suspicion about everything. We are almost “programmed” to not trust much of what we hear and even see.  Unfortunately, this can even creep into our understanding of faith.

     Truly, we have that wonderful axiom from St Anselm:  “:fides quaerens intellectum” (faith seeks understanding) and that, of course, is a good thing lest we receive the Faith like automatons rather than creatures created in the image and likeness of God.  Sometimes, however, that struggle with Faith can perplex us and the only recourse is to assume  that God knows better than me.  Such was the case with our father in faith, Abraham.

     No doubt Abraham had his suspicions, his struggle to understand the proposal, the covenant that God offered to him.  Already aged, settled in and reasonably comfortable ( something we all aspire to) God asked him, of his own volition, to leave it all and start a new life in a far-off land.  God made promises. But Who was this unknown God heretofore, and why an old man and his wife, and why leave the familiarity of his present surroundings?  Abraham was called to make a big leap into the unknown and he did.

       Certainly not to the same extent as Abraham, but we too are invited by God to make some leaps of faith.  Where they take us we do not know.  What the cost may be again a mystery. We must overcome our suspicious inclination because God always keeps His promises.  And just as the Lord’s companions on Mt. Tabor only later came to realize the significance of our Lord’s Transfiguration so too shall we one day know why God asks us to place all our trust in Him.

      This  coming Monday, March 2nd, at 700pm, Bishop Bambera will preside at the Holy Hour in St. Thomas More, Lake Ariel. This is his annual Lenten visitation to our deanery and all parishes in the Honesdale deanery are invited to attend. May our parishioners make every effort to be in attendance and show our allegiance to our Bishop and solidarity with our neighboring parishes.

With Blessings,

Father Langan