Little Flower Parish at 204 1st St. N.W., Browning, MT 59417 US - We are Sons and Daughters of God

DE LA SALLE BLACKFEET SCHOOL PROJECT By Fr. Ed Kohler November 2, 2001 Brother Paul was sharing with me a practice the Brothers did up until around the 1960s. When a Brother entered a classroom filled with children, the Brother would genuflect in the room to remind himself that he had just entered into the presence of God. The children knew why he did it too. What a marvelous teaching! And how much was lost, spiritually, in the great secular revolution of the 1960s! Our spiritual life is so out of focus today. Even though we practice our faith, secular life has left us in a spiritual fog that wants to steal the heart out of what we believe. Let me give you a very important example. The secular world says that all people, by simply being born, are children of God. In some ways this is a true statement. But it is not true in the way Jesus wants us to understand it. All people are not sons or daughters of God. God has only one Son-- his name is Jesus. Listen to the Profession of faith we recite each Sunday where we state, "we believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father...". We are not born sons and daughters of God, but we can become adopted sons and daughters of God. Saint Paul teaches us in Romans chapter eight that those who are lead by the Holy Spirit are adopted sons and daughters of God. We know that we receive that spirit of adoption most commonly at the time of our baptism. In baptism we are reborn. When we are baptized into Christ Jesus we receive the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. By receiving the indwelling of His Holy Spirit we are connected to God's only Son. Our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit of Jesus. And only by that indwelling of the divine do we become adopted sons and daughters of God. There is no other way. For that reason the De La Salle Christian Brothers genuflected when they entered a classroom full of children. They were teaching those children to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and to be led by the Holy Spirit. Then the Brothers honored that reality by genuflecting before those children. So then all people are not sons and daughters of God. St. Paul states in that same chapter eight, verse 9, "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to Christ". And if we do not belong to Christ, who is God's only Son, we are not adopted sons or daughters of God. Who can, in any way, presume to teach us how to become divine except God's only Son? How can we possibly know the way to the divine life except through Jesus who is the only Son of God? And how can this happen unless we are connected to Him and allow Him to recreate us and show us how to be divine? With this understanding, what greater gift can we give someone than the gift of the Holy Spirit to show him or her the way to the divine life promised to those who want it? Please read Romans Chapter Eight. Becoming an adopted son or daughter of God is not as easy as the world would want us to believe. Saint Paul teaches us in this same chapter that any one who is connected to Christ Jesus must become dead to sin. The first thing a son or daughter of God must do is learn to live, not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. In verse 5, "Those who live according to the flesh are intent on the things of the flesh, those who live according to the spirit, on those of the spirit". I am sure many of you have noticed the general tone of most of the movies out of Hollywood today. I am sure you have listened to music that gives themes contrary to Gospel values. In 1996, while on retreat in Great Falls, I went on an afternoon walk, just about the time the kids were getting out of school. I was reflecting on the huge task involved in starting a Catholic school in today's world. On the walk I encountered ten or twelve children-- boys and girls at about twelve or thirteen years old. While pushing me off the sidewalk they continued to argue about how long it takes to do sex. It was a very animated debate to say the least. This event focused my resolve to get a Catholic school in Little Flower Parish, the parish in which I have a lot of responsibility as pastor to shepherd our children, those who want to be sons and daughters of God, safely home to the Father. We have to get the picture here because without it we begin to lose sight of our need for Jesus Christ--something that happened in the secular revolution. To become a son or daughter of God is not a given. First we must learn who Jesus Christ is. Then we must desire the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Then we must let this Holy Spirit recreate us into divine sons and daughters of God. It takes a lot of work to die to the old self and then put on this new divine self. At verse 35 Saint Paul teaches us that in Christ Jesus nothing can defeat us. But first we must make a decision about Him, be connected to Him, and cooperate with His Holy Spirit. Quite frankly, what ever we do that does not lead us closer to our divine destiny is a waste of time. Life here on earth is too short to be chasing after the wind. And what ever good we do that is most focused on our divine destiny in Christ Jesus makes the most valuable use of our short time here on earth, and honors Our Father by honoring the gift He gave us-- our divine life in Christ Jesus. From our baptism we are sons and daughters of God now. We honor God by acting like it. The forces of evil that would want to destroy us are strong in today's world. The media, the new culture created by the secular revolution of the 1960s, and non-believers in God's only Son, do not want us to follow Jesus Christ and will constantly tell us why we are wrong to do so. For the person serious about this journey of faith, time is best spent in graced situations that support our journey to the heart of Our Father. Catholic Schools are graced institutions, centered on Jesus Christ, a protected environment, that nurture growth in the Holy Spirit, while that Holy Spirit helps God's little son or daughter learn arithmetic because that child of God had been taught to ask for help. I praise God that the De La Salle Christian Brothers have come to our Parish to start the De La Salle Blackfeet Middle School. Pray with us that this project will succeed and even grow into all twelve grades. If you are interested in knowing more about our parish and school project please see our Web page:http://LittleFlowerParish.Catholicweb.Com. If you would like to help us financially, please write us at Little Flower Parish, Catholic School Project, P.O. Box 529, Browning, MT. 59417. We pray for our benefactors. (Please feel free to copy and share these articles with others)

(Back)