There is a phrase in the Canon of the Mass upon which we cannot long dwell while saying it but about which we should ponder at times so that it will mean more to us in its usage. “Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church….” We use this phrase in approaching God in the Liturgy. The faith of the Church does not refer to that segment of the faithful who have gone before us. They have lost their faith— they have no need for it as they see God face to face. The souls of Purgatory awaiting the completion of their purification before full union with God also do not need faith as they, too, have seen the Lord. It must then refer to us or at least to those among us who give great examples of the faith in our day to day living. Because of our union with these in Christ, we ask the Lord to look favorable upon us. When using this phrase, I think of the bishops and cardinals who have lost their lives or who are imprisoned for decades in China, Mexico, India, Sudan, etc. and have still held on to the faith. I think of missionaries, men like you and me, who live in strange cultures, eat unfamiliar foods, and work tirelessly for the spread of the Word of God. I met one of our own priests whose mission in Brazil involves paddling up the rivers in search of souls to tell them that God loves them and has sent his son to die for them. He works in the heat; others work in the cold and like St. Paul, in dangers and threats. What faith they have! I recall an article by Fr. Peter Daly in The Catholic Standard where he wrote about the examples of great faith in the ordinary lives of our people. For instance, several young mothers who get their little toddlers up and dressed, bringing them to daily Mass. He tells of the husband who stays routinely at the bedside of his wife of 57 years, holding her hand as she is dying. There is a young man who works in a fast-paced information technology job, who starts the day off with the Liturgy of the Hours (a book he keeps on his desk). Worthy of note is the father of six whom on his way home from work stops by the church to pray for his family. Then there are the adult leaders who give up their Wednesday evenings to work with teenagers, just because they love kids regardless of their baggy pants and pierced body parts. A retired nurse volunteers her time and effort to hospice work for the dying. A young lawyer devotes his lunch hours to teaching illiterate adults to read. The doctor and nurse, a husband and wife team, twice each month cook meals for the area homeless shelter and their three teenage sons help deliver the meals. Important to mention are the young women who volunteer at the neighborhood crisis pregnancy center so as to weekly save lives. Any pastor, and for that matter, any observant person could make a similar list. There is so much goodness and grace. It is truly amazing. “Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,” and help us to go and do likewise.
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