Vision of Faith

A quote from Marcia Allen's reflection in our Maxim book on Maxim #12...
"Here I recall my vision of faith; that is, my vision of the world--that one through which I fall in love with the world."

The topic that we started with in religious education yesterday with my seventh and eighth graders was faith. So, yesterday morning when I read this during my personal prayer, it challenged me to live what I was going to teach. Although, I don't know that teach is the right word. I hoped to find a way for each student to illuminate for himself or herself the gift of faith in his or her life. Okay, maybe an impossible task for seventh and eighth graders. If they only came away with a greater understanding of what faith is so that they can later recognize it in their lives, I suppose we were successful. I'm going to re-teach next week.

But, I spent the day and some prayer around how I see the world, my life, the people, places, things, and events that make up my days. Do I choose to use lenses that make me fall deeper and deeper in love? Sometimes it is challenging as I come into relationship, and through relationship, the struggles of individuals and families made worse through systems of injustice and injurious individuals. I can't fix it. But, while working on what I can, I fix as images to remember the smiles, hugs, faith of the people. Those are the visions upon which I choose to focus.


The high school youth group commenced last night and we were sharing about how each of us prays. I talked about the Sharing of the Heart that we Sisters of St. Joseph use in our prayer--how God has worked in our lives each day, in the beautiful, grace-filled ways, in the challenges, how we, then, feel called to live God's presence--and I mentioned the sky here when I go running in the morning. It is purple. This picture doesn't do it justice; it looks more blue and black. But, when I am out for my morning meditation and there is this silver sliver of a moon against a purple sky, I take a deep breath and say, "Good morning, God" (again).

So, this morning, again, I "recall my vision of faith; that is, my vision of the world--that one through which I fall in love with the world."

--Sarah