Question: What is the best way for us to practice our faith? Especially, during the pandemic.

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If you prefer to read, below is Deacon Tom’s Answer:

Practicing our faith is a very wide topic and can be done in many ways, however, I would always group this into 2 categories based on Jesus’ teaching “You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength and you must love your neighbour as yourself”.

This is the heart of practicing our faith, in that our relationship with God, then enables us to reach out and love our neighbour.

To keep this simple I thought I would pick ten things that you can do, though in no particular order:

1. Prayer– Making a connection with God not by rhyming off many prayers, but instead a conversation with listening to the Holy Spirit stirring our heart
2. Read Bible– learn to know God and how he loves His people by reading just a few lines and letting God touch your soul through a word or phrase that touches us.
3. Attend but more important “celebrate” “active participation”in sacraments, which are not to be watched, but to be celebrated as we return to parish life
4. Father Mark’s father gave him one piece of advice for him as a priest, but I think it applies to us all – “be kind”– all of us have struggles, so assume the person you are talking to also does and put their perspective in mind when you talk to them and “be kind”.
5. Patience – many of us have Covid fatigue, we are tired and may slightly edgy – be patient with others as we all are challenged in these trying times
6. Reach out and help others as much as you can – a phone call, a video chat, a bag of cookies, a lasagna – anything that says “I care for you and I’m thinking about you!”
7. Be a peacemaker– these days there seems to be more arguments, more “them and us” – let us instead be Christians who listen, who try to understand, who get the facts and who hear both sides and bring peace and understanding
8. Let’s be Positive– not because everything is great, but because we know have God with us as our strength on the path of life – so much is negative right now, and a positive demeanour shines forth like a beacon for others
9. Let us forgive as God himself has forgiven us – none of us is perfect, and all of us need a second chance (or maybe 77 chances as the disciples learned) – let us build bonds through forgiveness

And finally, as the song says “Let all know we are Christians by our love” with joy each day, a smile for all we see and meet and a strength based on God’s who loves us first!

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