November 2, 2004

"They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for the sowing,
they come back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves" (Psalm 126)

Whether it's the World Series or a presidential election, in the end there are only two groups - those who are silent and those who sing. Yet, if you're old enough to have at least one gray hair in your head, you know by first-hand experience how fleeting is both the happiness of success and the sadness of failure. Yes, our emotions bob and sway this way and that way like a buoy on a wind-swept sea. This is why we should not allow ourselves to be completely crestfallen due to a tragic defeat nor overly triumphant in a major victory.

This is one of the many reasons why we have to look at life through eyes illumined by faith. When a person possesses this wonderful God-given gift, they view life differently than the rest. The world of the faith-filled, sometimes called a "kingdom", is bathed in an unusual, supernatural light which makes the dull and unattractive glow bright as gold and makes what glimmers look like lead. This is but one reason why people of faith are often misunderstood: because they don't act, or better put, they don't react and run with the rest of the pack.

In baseball some say "the curse has ended", and in politics some say "the curse is coming"; yet, for we who profess faith, it's not about a curse, but rather, Christ. As we sang in the sixties, "He's got the whole world in His hands". That's right, His hands. Therefore, pray with me that we receive from God the greatest gift He could give us, the gift of a deep abiding faith. It is in the light of faith that we slowly see where to put all our trust. It is in His hands where the victorious are made humble and the defeated made hopeful.

It matters little if you're a star player who wins a World Series or the next president who sits in the White House. In the end, what matters most is living a faith-filled life which leads to an eternity of blissful victory, and for the faithless a bitter defeat.

Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR
Community servant (superior) residing at St. Felix Friary in Yonkers
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