Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Faith and Trust (part two)

If, as suggested in my last post, faith and trust go together as two sides of one coin, then it is our actions which put that coin into circulation. And I witnessed many actions of faith and trust this past week, most involving parents taking their children to school.

Last Wednesday the parents of Marquette High freshmen brought their sons to school (it’s an all-boys school) so they could register, get their pictures taken, and put their books into their lockers in preparation for the first day of class. That same day, twenty blocks to the east, other parents were bringing their sons and daughters to Marquette University, delivering them to dormitories for check-in and unloading boxes of clothes and room furnishings.

These were actions of faith and trust. The parents were trusting that the schools they were sending their children to would help them get a good education and become better people; they also had faith in their children’s ability to expand their minds and widen their view of life and of the world. Ultimately, they were making an act of faith and trust in God’s care for their children. And make no mistake, those actions of faith and trust were difficult for many parents, as their quivering chins and moist eyes that day made plain. But they did them anyway, out of love.

So, all those parents who have this year — or ever — brought their children to school deserve a salute. They can also be confident that their acts of faith and trust, which arise from God and return to God, will hopefully bring God closer to them and their children and bring them and their children closer to God.