Is Your Faith Contagious?

~~~ Saint Catherine of Siena ~~~

~~~ Virgin and Doctor of the Church ~~~

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:32-37 ~~~ Psalm 93 ~~~ John 3:7b-15 ~~~

The community of believers was of one heart and mind...

This is such a foreign concept for us today.

We live in a society that places more value on the individual.

Not only functioning independently, but we strive to be unique.

We value our goal of being different.

Just think for a moment about some of our current entertainers.

Lady Gaga comes to mind right away, but there are many.

Jesus came that we might be one; one in his love and mercy.

Is it possible for us to retain our diversity
 and still be of 'one heart and mind'?

I believe the answer is 'yes'.

Being of one heart and one mind is more than
 pooling material possessions.

The unity of this community is something deeper...

something that cannot be seen.

The disposition of the heart and mind must be one with the Lord.

This oneness will then be the guiding force in our lives.

The apostles, with the power of the Spirit, were able to speak 

and act with great passion.

The passion which sprung from their faith and love for Jesus.

Their passion was contagious, thus many came to believe.

Many wanted to be a part of this community...to support
 it any way they could.

We see this even today in our various church communities and groups.

To enter into a passionate community is ultimately to be 

of one heart and mind with the other members.

Being of one heart and mind does not mean diversity 

and creativity are destined to become obsolete.

Being of one heart and mind makes for a much stronger community.

It takes a strong community to carry out the work of the Spirit.

All of the threads of a tapestry are woven together 

while retaining the unique color of each thread,

as it can be in our society today.

We are Blessed to live in a world where the possibilities are endless...

where we can have 'one heart and mind'

with one another.

~~~Peace~~~