Fourth Sunday of Lent & St. Fina

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Saying, Doing, or Being?

St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians that we are saved through grace: God’s actions of sending his Son to die for us, and raising Jesus from the dead show the love God has for us. It comes entirely from God. We are saved by our faith in Jesus, but even that faith comes from God. So when Paul says that no one can boast about being saved, he means that we can’t add up our good deeds like reward points for heaven. He also means that we can’t brag about our faith because we can recite the creed or answer an altar call. So if being saved is not a matter of saying the right things, or doing good deeds, what is it?

The answer comes from the gospel. Jesus tells us that he will be lifted up, or crucified, so that we can believe in him and have eternal life. Notice he doesn’t give a list of facts about God that we are required to believe. When we “believe in” someone, we put our love and trust in that person. We want to be with that person as much as we can. We know that we are loved and so respond by giving love. Our response of love is not just a happy feeling. It inspires us to stop being selfish and start noticing that others need our help. Jesus describes it as living in the light: we are not ashamed to help someone, forgive someone, or comfort someone. While we do not force our faith on others, we don’t hide it either. Our life is in the light, open to anyone who wants to see what God has done for us.

That brings us back to the question about salvation: it is not something we do or say. It is what God does for us. Our response of faith is also his gift. So when we recognize all that God has done for us and believe in his Son Jesus, the Spirit will guide us to live that faith and share it with others.

-Tom Schmidt, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

 


Saint FinaMarch 12th

God calls us to be saints no matter what our circumstances. Some young, some old, some rich, some poor, some in positions of power and some of humble means. Seraphina, or Fina for short, was just a child when God called her to demonstrate heroic virtue. She was a beautiful girl born into a poor family. After her father’s death, she fell victim to a strange illness that paralyzed and misshaped her, making her unsightly, in constant pain and unable to move. Her mother was forced to leave her for hours at a time to work to provide for her family. Fina realized she was called to imitate Christ’s suffering and clung to the crucifix for consolation. Then her mother also died and she had only one friend who visited her and brought her food. She had a special devotion to Pope St. Gregory the Great, and often asked for his intercession. He appeared to her one week before her death and told her that God would give her rest on his feast day (March 12).  The whole city, who had abandoned her during her time of need due to her illness and physical appearance, attended her funeral and began to pray to her. Her neighbors found white violets at her resting place and to this day the white violets that bloom in March are called St. Fina flowers. She was only fifteen years old when she died. May we all learn from the example of St. Fina to be patient in bearing our own crosses and draw strength from the sufferings of Jesus to endure them.

—Tami Urcia, Diocesan Publications