Hello Friends,

It’s Final Four time! Most of the “talking heads”, including our President, had mostly the number one seeds advancing to Houston. However, as we all know, none of the “best” seeded teams are in. Not even a number two seeded team made it for a chance to play for college basketball’s ultimate title.

I think it is hilarious that Virginia Commonwealth is one of the four teams. On the evening of Selection Sunday, the expert commentators were offended that they were even in the tournament at all. They railed against the selection committee for even considering them as worthy to play at all. Their resumes were not nearly as good as many of the other teams that were not chosen. They had no wins against quality opponents. Their league was weak. No one could even see them winning the play in game that they had to play in order to receive an eleven seed. Yet here they are still playing, while nearly everyone else is on the outside looking in. They believed that they were capable and deserving of being with college basketball’s elite. And now we see that they are.

Usually we think that seeing is believing. St. John’s Gospel and people with deep faith show us that believing is seeing. In the New Testament the word “believe” is used 238 times. In the Gospel of John “believe” appears 98 times. To Jesus, in St. John’s Gospel, belief was the most important quality a person could receive as a gift from God. He tells the Apostles after His Resurrection, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Believing that Jesus can help him see enables the blind man in the Gospel to see. Disbelief is the reason why the Pharisees and scribes can not see who Jesus really is. Belief helped Mother Theresa to see the face of Christ in the dying and the miserably poor of the world. Believing that we are capable of receiving God’s grace, compassion, and forgiveness opens the doors for God’s grace into our lives. Believing that all human life is from God, helps us see the unborn, the elderly, our enemies, the poor, criminals, and everyone as sacred and precious.

Believing helps us see God, others, the world, and ourselves as God sees. Today, let all of our prayers include the prayer from Scripture, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!”

paz,
Fr. Chuck