This past week, Mary and I were driving home from the weekly pickup from Harvesters for the St. Charles food pantry, when we noticed the sign in front of one of the churches, near to St. Charles, and had a good laugh. You know that to which I'm referring, you've probably seen them many times: Church signs which have a humorous, pithy saying or quote which succeeds in eliciting a laugh from you and gets you thinking. Among my favorites are:
- "Honk if you love Jesus – Text while driving if you want to meet Him." This quote actively evangelizes and also provides a public safety message.
- "Many who seek God at the eleventh hour die at 10:30." For all those who think that they will always have time to begin going back to the Church, someday.
- "God, help me to be the person that my dog thinks I am!" For all the dog-lovers among us!
- Also among my favorites: "There are some questions that can't be answered by Google." This appeals to the tech-nerds among us.
In this Sunday's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which is among my favorite books in the Bible, Saul (soon to be renamed Paul) is having a hard time convincing Jesus' disciples in Jerusalem that he is no longer the Christian-persecuting Jew which he was prior to his life-changing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. It takes the intervention of Barnabas to assuage the fears of the disciples and to accept Paul for what he has truly become: A God-fearing follower of the Way. The disciples are won-over and protect Paul as he is changing from the persecutor to the persecuted, all for the love of Jesus Christ.
Paul, just like the apostle Thomas, needed to see in order to believe and have faith in our risen Lord. Two-thousand years later, we do not have the benefit of seeing first, so our challenge is to have faith and listen to the advice of the church sign that reminds us that "some things need to be believed to be seen."
Every May, the Respect Life Committee hosts a Baby Shower to benefit mothers who have chosen life over abortion. Parishioners return baby bottles that they have been generously filling with coins, to sponsor pilgrims on the annual March for Life. In January, we sponsored 2 St. Charles students and our Youth Director, for the 2015 March, in Washington D.C. Parishioners also donate diapers, baby blankets, and other baby items which are distributed to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. This year, the Baby Shower is this weekend, May 2 & 3. Please return your filled Baby Bottles and donate baby items. Thank you.
Deacon Jim Olshefski