Fr. David DeJulio is the pastor of the very vibrant St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Tampa, Florida. His message is about helping all of us to realize the gifts that God has given us and encouraging us to use these gifts for the betterment of the world. He graciously agreed to participate in my blog survey and responded to the seven question survey. His very inspiring answers are below. If you want to participate, please answer the seven questions and send them to me at fellmananthony@gmail.com. Please pray for Fr. David's ministry.
1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge is the fact of the housing crisis in my parish. There are many families who are facing foreclosure, with no job prospects, who are trying to keep up hope. I seem powerless to their needs and I find it difficult to inspire hope to them when their houses and jobs are being taken away. I realize that evil is present in this world and God is not the cause of the angst that people are experiencing, but I simply wish that God would do something?
2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? These days it is Matthew 6:25-34 regarding God's care for us by telling us not to worry about our life. It truly gives me great comfort.
3. How do you think God is revealing his presence to us in the world today? I think God reveals his presence to us in many and varied ways. Just look at the goodness of people this time of year to the less fortunate and I see the power of God's presence being revealed. I see the exuberance of a little child running to me for a blessing and I see God's presence in that child's love and joy. I also experience God's presence in the stillness of the dawn and in the dusk of the day.
4. Do you have a book that you would recommend to people trying to develop their spirituality? One spiritual book that I would recommend is The Holy Longing: the Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser.
5. Why do you think that bad things happen to good people? Bad things happen to good people due to sin in the world. Because God has given us all the gift of free will, there are some people whose bad choices will affect us in a negative way, those around him/her. I think when a good person comes down with diseases like cancer, etc., the sin of others (unhealthy pesticides, greed, etc.) caused the good person to be affected. God in no way causes these things; it's caused by the human capacity to sin.
6. What have you found is the most effective way to introduce the Word of God to a nonbeliever? The most effective way to introduce the Word of God to a nonbeliever is to first find out about their life experience. Who are they, what brought them here, what are they most concerned about in their life? I may offer some advice or wisdom that comes from Scripture without them knowing it. Building the relationship is the most important part and everything else follows.
7. Do you have a favorite saint and if so, why? I think my favorite saint is St. Theresa the Little Flower because of her dedication to bring God's love to all she met. Once she realized that love was what she was created to do, she simply lived it despite the difficulties she faced with some of God's people. I would like to think I could also learn from her and repeat what she did. It's difficult at times, but the rewards are so great
1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge is the fact of the housing crisis in my parish. There are many families who are facing foreclosure, with no job prospects, who are trying to keep up hope. I seem powerless to their needs and I find it difficult to inspire hope to them when their houses and jobs are being taken away. I realize that evil is present in this world and God is not the cause of the angst that people are experiencing, but I simply wish that God would do something?
2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? These days it is Matthew 6:25-34 regarding God's care for us by telling us not to worry about our life. It truly gives me great comfort.
3. How do you think God is revealing his presence to us in the world today? I think God reveals his presence to us in many and varied ways. Just look at the goodness of people this time of year to the less fortunate and I see the power of God's presence being revealed. I see the exuberance of a little child running to me for a blessing and I see God's presence in that child's love and joy. I also experience God's presence in the stillness of the dawn and in the dusk of the day.
4. Do you have a book that you would recommend to people trying to develop their spirituality? One spiritual book that I would recommend is The Holy Longing: the Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser.
5. Why do you think that bad things happen to good people? Bad things happen to good people due to sin in the world. Because God has given us all the gift of free will, there are some people whose bad choices will affect us in a negative way, those around him/her. I think when a good person comes down with diseases like cancer, etc., the sin of others (unhealthy pesticides, greed, etc.) caused the good person to be affected. God in no way causes these things; it's caused by the human capacity to sin.
6. What have you found is the most effective way to introduce the Word of God to a nonbeliever? The most effective way to introduce the Word of God to a nonbeliever is to first find out about their life experience. Who are they, what brought them here, what are they most concerned about in their life? I may offer some advice or wisdom that comes from Scripture without them knowing it. Building the relationship is the most important part and everything else follows.
7. Do you have a favorite saint and if so, why? I think my favorite saint is St. Theresa the Little Flower because of her dedication to bring God's love to all she met. Once she realized that love was what she was created to do, she simply lived it despite the difficulties she faced with some of God's people. I would like to think I could also learn from her and repeat what she did. It's difficult at times, but the rewards are so great
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