Saturday, September 6, 1997

Readers describe how their faith aids them

By Tom Schaefer

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Faith can be perplexing.

When everything is swirling around you, what do you hang on to in order to keep from sinking?

When everything is dead calm, how do you generate power to stay spiritually alive?

Recently, I asked you to respond to similar questions (What is it that helps you live your faith in today's world? What is it specifically about your faith that works for you?).

The questions were inspired by an article in the September issue of U.S. Catholic magazine: "The Seven Secrets of Successful Catholics," by Paul Wilkes. The secrets are: 1. staying close to the Eucharist; 2. being members of a faith community; 3. relying on conscience and good judgment but never alone; 4. doing things that regularly call you out of yourself; 5. living in the moment, recognizing daily opportunities for holiness; 6. remembering that God is merciful and forgiving; 7. believing in prayer and praying regularly.

And what did you say helped you? Here are some of the responses:

Two young readers illustrate the beauty of the biblical passage: "Out of the mouths of babes, thou hast brought perfect praise" (The Gospel of Matthew's paraphrase of Psalm 8:2):

"The assurance I have that there is something better waiting for me helps me to stand firm," says 12-year-old Melody Harstine. "God has given me the strength I need to live the faith I have in today's world."

Luke Peniston, a sixth-grader in Whitewater, Kan., says he lives each day by "letting Jesus take control of my life."

"I believe that Jesus will return, and one day I will be with Him. In the toughest times, Jesus always sees me through."

Maryann Mitchell says three Bible verses are especially meaningful to her: John 16:33, 2 Thessalonians 3:16 and Romans 8:28.

"I have been a Christian for the past 10 years of my 39 here on this earth," she says. "Although the trials have come, including losing my husband of 13 years, God has proven Himself faithful."

For many respondents, prayer is a key element to a strong faith.

Carolyn Wilson of Wichita, Kan., says she keeps a list of people and their specific needs for which she's praying.

"Not each prayer is answered the same month or in the same way that I prayed," she says. "But keeping track of what is prayed and what is answered shows in a clear concrete way that God does answer prayer."

Wilson says she has experienced some tough times in the past 10 years, including a divorce, her resettling in a new community, "an empty nest" and a new, mid-life career. Through all of these circumstances, she says, God has been "faithful and good."

Jewell Buoy of Wichita relies on prayer and the Bible for spiritual strength and direction, though she says it's important to pray with the right attitude.

"When we pray, we don't ask God for 'things.' We ask for God's guidance," she says. "And you get your answer if you get your big, fat ego out of the way."

Others have found their spiritual connections strengthened by the works of various writers.

V. Thompson says he especially likes books by Joel S. Goldsmith, including "The Thunder of Silence," "A Parenthesis in Eternity" and "The Art of Meditation." Goldsmith's writings, Thompson says, are "Words that are spoken from the heart and heard directly by the heart."

And there are those who look to a community of faith to keep them on a spiritual path. J. Howard Buffum says that when he finds his faith wavering, he thinks of his church family, First United Methodist Church in Winfield, Kan. The members, he says, provide "such a wonderful, uncomplaining example of Christian faith."

"I thank God for their lives," he writes, "and for the Lord giving me a 'nudge' through them."

And, as Paul Wilkes found in his travels, there are those who look to the Eucharist to keep them grounded in the faith.

"I am past 50, and as I grow older, I value my Catholic faith even more," writes a Wichitan who asked not to be identified.

"The one guiding principle to me is that Catholics truly believe that the body and blood of Christ is present in the host or wine received during Communion. It is not merely a symbol but truly 'a meal that sustains all week.' "

(Tom Schaefer writes about religion and ethics for the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. Write to him at the Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201, or send e-mail to tschaefer(at)wichitaeagle.com )

(c) 1997, The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.).

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