FAITH

As Christians, we never forget the story of Abraham, the Father of Faith. When Abraham was first called by God. God said to him, “Go from your country and your relatives and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”  So Abraham went.  He followed the call of God even though that call asked him to give up almost everything that he knew. With only his faith in God, Abraham left the land that he had known and he took with him some of his close family members including his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot. 

Even though he still did not know exactly what God had in mind, Abraham responded.

We remember the story of Abraham was a hundred at the time and his wife Sarah, at the age of ninety, was finally going to have a baby.      

We remember the story of Abraham who lived a long, faithful life-- a life in which God continued to challenge him, sometimes in seemingly brutal ways.  

We remember the story of Abraham…..

And we remember the story of Abraham….

In this evening’s sharing, we recall the life of our Mother Foundress, St. Raphaela Mary who is as a symbol of faith, and the woman who believes in the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Saint Raphaela hoped against hope.  She did not weaken in faith. She did not lose her trust in the vision.  She grew strong in her faith as she gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.             

St. Raphaela heard God’s call and followed. She believed in God’s promises and not because she had read about God in the Bible but because she heard that voice in her heart and she found the courage to follow Him in faith. She followed and believed in something that could not be proven or something that when she weighed the pros and cons that she could actually find more things listed on the “pro” side.

The story is about faith, about the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The nature of faith is best told in St. Raphaela life’s story, because it is something that defies good definition.  Faith is not just about something that we have. It is about something that we are. It is about our very being. When we dare to follow the voice of God, faith grabs a hold of us and causes us to wonder how we could ever think that we could live our lives without God.  Faith draws us into the mysteries and wonders of life and the fulfillment of promises, even just the hope of the fulfillment of promises.

St. Raphaela’s 32 years of her hidden life reminded of faith to each Handmaid today.  An ordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life through nothing more or less than following God’s voice in faith and in hope.  Her life offers us the real example of what it means to follow God’s path, to walk with God, even when in times of difficulties and trials.         

We, the Handmaids, are the successors of the Mission of Reparation. We are invited to enter into the world’s struggles which each of us become God’s face to other people whom we touch and serve.

In a moment of silence, we thank God for the gift of faith, the gift of St. Raphaela, the gift of our vacation, and the gift of many people who are part of our journey. Through the intercession of St. Raphaela, Mother Pilar, and all the beloved death handmaids, may God continue to strengthen us and encourage us to listen to his voice and to follow in faith, hope, and trust. Let us look at St. Raphaela’s life and not to be weakened in our faith, even when we feel empty or rejected. May we continue to be women of faith to others.              

And yet, let us again be reminded by St. Raphaela’s thought “to make Christ known and loved by all”.