Thought for the week: I believe….

First, here are a few thoughts on belief from Sr. Joan Chittister’s:

“Belief is not contrary to fact. It simply transcends it. To believe something is to know its truth not so much in our minds but in the center of our souls.

We believe in goodness, for instance, because, however effective evil seems to be, it contradicts the highest aspirations of humanity. We believe in love rather than hate, because love draws out the best in us, while hate feeds on our smallness. We believe in people whose hearts we hold in our hands, whatever the situations that challenge that certainty, because we ourselves are nourished by that relationship. We believe in the spiritual because the material is simply not enough to justify the sense of the unfinishedness of life that lurks in every human heart.

In sum, belief is the ability to know what we cannot see. None of our beliefs, if they are really “belief,” are sure in the way that chemicals on scales are sure. Belief is sure in the way that truth is sure. It rings in our hearts like tines of crystal.”

Anne Frank once said, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”  She wrote this one month before she and her family were sent to the Nazi concentration camp.

And Jesus told us:  “Whoever believes in God shall have eternal life”.

And me?  You?  What do you believe?

What do I believe?
I believe in many things.
I believe in Love of God and Love of neighbor.
I believe there are many “rooms” in God’s house.
I believe that good will conquer evil. I believe in the lessons of nature and creation.
I believe I’m not finished yet.
I believe we are called to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God and one another.
I believe that God has many names.
I believe that my loved ones in eternity watch over me.
I believe that love is love!
I believe that family is more than blood lines.
I believe that I’ve been incredibly blessed and need to share those blessings because I can.
I believe in justice and equity and community.
I believe that God is so much more than how I see God and…
I believe I’ll be very surprised by what God shares with me in eternity.
I believe in faith, hope, and love.
And that’s only the beginning of what I believe….