Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:

Revelation 12:7-12
Psalm 138:1-5
John 1:47-51


A reflection on today's Scripture:

Jesus told us that some day we would see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

The concept of heaven, hell and angels is certainly difficult for some people to grasp. For such souls, these images seem only to be fairy tales and have little bearing on reality. But nothing could be further from the truth!

One of the greatest books that one can read aside from the Bible is the Catholic Catechism, which contains a great wealth of information about our faith as Catholics. One of the biggest problems in today's Church is apathy. Many middle-aged and young people lack any real understanding of the faith.

I was schooled in the "new" style of teaching religion in Catholic school back in the 60's and 70's, when sins were simply "mistakes", and Jesus was a warm fuzzy feeling, and we should all love Him. There is much much more to our faith, and there is no way that we can expect our children to understand and to choose right from wrong unless they know the rules of God and their faith -- and the consequences of their actions.

I ask everyone to say a special prayer for our youth; and for all educators too, that they will teach the true Catechism and all the beliefs of our faith, and not a watered down "feel good" rendition which caused many to leave the Church or to lead lives of a lukewarm faith.

- Steve Shawl