CULTIVATING AN UNQUENCHING FAITH

THE CHALLENGE OFFERED ON THE 4TH SUNDAY OF GREAT FAST

By Metropolitan-Emeritus Stefan Soroka

The surest way to avoid pessimism and despair is to take what immediate action we can to assist others in need. Jesus cures a sick boy telling his father, “To him who believes, all things are possible”. To approach anything in the spirit of hopelessness is to make it hopeless. To approach anything in the spirit of faith is to make it a possibility. Many people limit themselves with a sense of the impossible and that’s why miracles cannot happen. We are all given gifts by God. Nurture your gifts with prayer and striving to be close to God. Use your gifts for the glory of God and His people. You will have the effect of calling others to a higher order of thinking and living. You will bring yourself closer to God. You will bring others closer to God. Join others in your parish to exclaim the prayer of the father in today’s Gospel, “I believe … if there is still some discouragement in me, some doubts, take them away and fill me with an unquenching faith” (Mk 9:17-31). Prayer in a parish community is powerful and can cause miracles to happen!