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Why is it that despite God’s
constant faithfulness we still
doubt? Is it because God does not
answer according to our timetable or
the way we had hoped? Whatever the
reasons may be, Easter is a clear
reminder of God’s faithfulness to
his promises.
Given the current economic problems
in our country and indeed throughout
the world, we all need this
particular Easter reminder to
penetrate our hearts. Many leaders
in our country and across the world
have been making promises that they
will strive to solve these economic
problems. I pray they will succeed.
However, in these hard economic
times we should realize that only
God is perfectly faithful to
promises made. Then, as a people of
faith, we will be careful when
listening to man’s promises.
History has taught us that many
terrible things can occur when
people unreservedly put their hopes
in the promises of human beings. One
need only think of the many promises
of prosperity made by Adolf Hitler
to an economically weakened Germany
in the 1930s. We are all aware of
the unspeakable crimes against
humanity that were committed.
Putting their total trust in the
dictator’s assurances only happened
because people compromised their
faith in God by forgetting that he
alone can be trusted completely.
Their desire for the “treasures of
earth” led them to give a trust to
human beings that belong only to
God. Human promises that we can have
heaven on earth, whether made by the
state or religious preachers, will
always fail.
We must listen to all human promises
with only one complete trust in our
minds and hearts. That is the trust
we have in Christ our Lord in whose
Resurrection we share by carrying
the Cross with him.
The celebration of Easter reminds us
that despite the difficult times in
our lives, the crosses we have to
bear, Jesus Christ has conquered sin
and death as he promised. Because he
has fulfilled all his promises, we
can face these times with faith and
courage knowing that heaven is
promised to those who are faithful
to the Lord. That is how the martyrs
could face death. They did not place
their hopes in the promises of this
world but in the one who said,
“Amen,
amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my
word will never see death.”
Let us pray that we will move
forward with renewed faith in the
promises of God and strive to attain
the treasure that truly matters –
which is eternal life. May Mary our
Mother, who always trusted in the
promises of God, intercede for us so
that we may experience the joy of
Easter.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph F.
Martino, D.D., Hist. E.D."
Bishop of Scranton
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