John and James it seems viewed their life following Christ as climbing up rungs of exaltation. Somehow their faith was reduced to merely looking for what was in it for them. Jesus made it clear in the way that he lived his life that the Christian vocation is ever meant to permeate the whole of our lives and that our lives are ever to reflect and spread the light that we find in the rock of our salvation. The light we find in Christ. To profess a Christian faith means to engage in a struggle to discover how one's faith will be given expression in the larger world in which we live.
Parish life is the cradle that sets out to nurture our Christian formation and development.
I started this morning with a story by way of suggesting that our commitment to Saint Peter's should be among the first things, one of the big rocks, that is first placed into the Mason jar. When most people sit down to reflect upon the nurture of their faith, and their growth in the Christian life, they usually articulate times where the Church was pivotal in shaping the course of their life journey. At this time of year we devote time to specifically talk about the importance of our financial support of the parish. To give full expression to one's faith we are asked to give out of the abundance that we have been blessed with. Take some time to consider and examine your life of faith.