Learning to be Quick to Listen

Sr. Lucia Brady, O.S.C. is Pastoral Assistant and heads the RCIA program at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Largo, Florida. St. Jerome is home to almost 2,800 families and more than 6,200 parishioners. Active parish ministries number more than 50. If you would like to share your thoughts like Sr. Lucia did, simply answer the Seven Question Survey and return it to fellmananthony@gmail.com. I know that St. Lucia’s responses will bless you. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? One of the biggest challenges to my faith was a time when our family suffered five deaths in the space of three years as well as some personal illness. One of the deaths was my younger brother, who was killed by a drunken driver while he was walking on the footpath. It took me some time to forgive the driver and to come to an awareness of God's plan for me during this time. 2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? In Him I live and move and have m...

"That you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth. Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil." I am starting the blog today with Ephesians 4:22-27 for a specific reason. I noticed a news story this morning that has my blood boiling. Apparently, Reverend Jeffrey Newell is still a priest, serving in the Diocese of Tijuana. I say still because he was supposed to be barred from being anywhere near children after he was reported for child abuse. The Diocese of Los Angeles agreed to ban Newell in a settlement with the victim who had been molested by Newell for several years, beginning when the cleric was first a youth minister and ...

The U.S. Bishops met recently in St. Petersburg Florida. While there, they offered a prayer for the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. That is not unusual. What I found most interesting is the final part of their prayer. It says, "Finally, we offer our prayers for our government leaders and for the industry leaders and experts who are working to cap the leak and repair this damage. May God give them wisdom and strength in this trying hour, and may He move them to seek lasting solutions benefiting the common good of our society." What a wonderful prayer to say everyday. When we elect people to positions of leadership, the expectation is that they will respect the followers. After all, without followership there can be no leadership. I feel that may be part of the problem in the U.S. right now. The followers have so little faith in the leaders that we are all wandering looking for something else. Unfortunately for many people that something else can be destroying their live...

I wish I lived in or near Wilmore, Kentucky. Why you ask? Because then I could attend the Ichthus Music Festival. The artist lineup is incredible. Skillet, Toby Mac, Casting Crowns, Switchfoot, Newsboys, Superchick, Francesca Battistella, and Josh Wilson are just a few of the folks performing. I also like the fact that Chick-fil-A is one of the sponsors. That company is very consistent with its message and it is always grounded in Christianity. Their boldness deserves to be recognized and supported. Anyway, back to the festival and all that it involves. They also have an outstanding array of speakers including Dave Ramsey. The Ichthus Music Festival is the oldest and longest-running Christian music festival in the nation. It was started in 1970 by an Asbury Seminary professor Dr. Bob Lyon and a group of his students as a positive and redemptive response to the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York. Did you know that ichthus is Greek for fish. It was the symbol that Christians us...

My financial adviser called me the other day to check on my retirement status. She said that she had looked at my portfolio and did not like how it was performing. She was very concerned about my future and my ability to enjoy my current quality of life. Did I have the same concerns she asked? It caused me to pray about the matter. I was drawn to Psalms 39:19, which says, "In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty." I know that God is not telling us to sit idly by and do nothing. I think what He is telling us in this passage is to enlarge out expectations. I understand that my financial adviser has a job to do and she is thinking in very earthly terms. But I also am afraid that she may be thinking of making sure my cup is full when God is planning to send me a river. I know that my reward in Heaven will be more than I can ever expect. I am not sure if I am really prepared for that. Our God provides more than enough. He is not bound by...

Sunday we celebrate the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua. He is very special to me and I have felt his presence in my life for a long time. Did you know that he is regarded as the quickest person to be named a saint? Pope Gregory IX named him a saint less than a year after his death in 1231. Also, it is reported that when he died, the bells of the churches in Padua rang of their own accord. Many people said that the angels rang the bells to welcome Anthony to Heaven. St. Anthony has been a good prayer partner for me over the years and I continue to call on my friend to join me in prayer for various issues and conflicts. I encourage you to connect with one of the saints and build a relationship. Discover why they were selected to become a saint and ask them to pray for you and your needs. You may find the same comfort I do with St. Anthony, as I know he is always at my side. I just discovered that the Catholic Student Center at Lamar University is adding a new chapel to their on-campus...

What next, what next? That is what I keep hearing people say about the world's current state. The Great Flood of 2010 in Nashville has certainly allowed folks to show their true spirit. So many have answered the call to action. Faith without works is just emptiness. Allowing God to use you for greatness is such a blessing. I encourage everyone to try it sometimes. I was so moved this morning on the way to work. The latest Casting Crowns song came on. It is called If We Ever Needed You . It certainly captures the situation of the world at present. With the massive oil disaster in the once beautiful Gulf of Mexico on top of the other disasters that have been coming at us combined with the lack of leadership in the White House, we are indeed in need of God's hand now. I am praying for all of the folks who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood. The oil spill is threatening to wipe out a way of live for so many people. It is truly devastating to sit and watch as the oil keeps spew...

I am so excited about a new voice that has emerged on Christian radio. If you have not heard Audrey Assad, get ready to hear purity and light. Not only is she singing about God and offering Him glory and praise, she is not playing the typical games that so many pop stars play. She is being honest about her faith life and the journey that has led her to this point. Raised a Protestant from birth, she became a Catholic about three years ago. I encourage you to read her story in her own words here. You should also get a copy of her latest album , For Love of You. What I love about Audrey is her strong show of support for Pope Benedict. How mature and insightful is this young woman? She is able to understand, unlike many who are twice her age, that Pope Benedict is not a place holder in the Seat of Peter. He is there to lead and guide the church that Jesus established. Pope Benedict stands for the righteousness that is the Catholic Church and has served her well over these last 2000 years....