About eight months ago, I asked Parishioners to share with me what faith meant to them. I received many responses. For the next few weeks, I will share with you what they shared with me.

— Fr. Mike

“Faith is strength…I don’t know where I would be without the strength that God has given me during Bernie’s illness and passing. It has helped me in countless ways—too numerous to list with all the things a person has to do to survive and live. And I am grateful to God each and every day—and I tell God so! Yes, my faith in God has been my strength.” —Jo Lanzrath

“Faith is a superlative of hope…An intrinsic belief in a Divine Being…the unwavering belief that a preordained sense of accomplishment will, and must, ultimately prevail over certainty, distrust, failure, and evil.” —Art Spafford, Jr.

“My faith means that I accept, although I may not understand, that God has given me many afflictions as well as gifts. Therefore, despite the pain of afflictions, God has special jobs for me to do with my gifts. God knows. I do not understand. But I accept. Someday, when I am with God in heaven, God may choose to explain the pain to me. Meanwhile, as the speaker on Immaculate Heart Radio said, some of us may suffer more in reparation for the sins of the world. And we can offer up this suffering to the Lord. So I pray: Dear Lord, please accept my sufferings, which are, in truth, nothing compared to the suffering of others. Please help me maximize the gifts You have given me in service to You and for Your glory. Amen.” —Kathleen Aviña

“Faith is like my internal compass. It keeps me pointed in the right direction. And on a personal note, the hard part is to keep looking at it!” —Matt Perun