Reblando, Henna R.

BSNIII-A GLOWING AND GROWING IN FAITH Grow, glow and go food makes one healthy, happy and active. More than ever the call has become too incessant for us to respond readily, too urgent for us to answer, too relentless for us to heed. A call to faith, one truly missionary and maturing, loving and inculturated. We are implied to envision a system characterized by daily conversion, renewal and transformation. We really need to grow, glow and go in faith, in love and in service. The scripture has time and again offered an enriching message to reinforce us in our daily life. The signs of time have taught us moral lessons. Mans debilitating will and recalcitrant heart led him to nowhere; He continually searches for meaning. Eventually he ends up dissatisfied, empty and bored. All he needs is a lift to conversation, a guide to renewal and a will to transformation. These are the challenges of time: conversation, renewal and transformation. The Bible provides us to go, grow and to glow to live up to these challenges. It provides us the spiritual nourishment to keep us going. Learning life with go food, learning faith with grow food and living faith with glow food. Man in his brokenness is called to daily conversions. The letting go of unnecessary things we need not indulged in, so that we get to know what is needed and which is simply a want. Letting go of old sinful thoughts to welcome new beliefs, the conversation of mind. Acceptance to Gods grace so we can experience a change of

feeling, the conversation of heart, It now calls for the shift of desire and a challenge to desire what is best, the conversation of will. Only then can we make a total turning away to start anew and genuinely admit we want to live up the next phase which is renewal. It is the giving of a new view to ordinary things, a step to growth to finding ways and meanings of life. Hence, we come nearer to Christs ideal as to his brothers those who do the will of God and His will is clear: to love, to grow in faith. Conversion and renewal are two different things, a challenge to both the mind. The desire to make a decision is transformation of the growing faith. Undeniably, Christians today are put to a greater test compared to Christians of early days. They were put to difficult trials, imprisoned and consequently died for their faith. Todays Christians suffer no more of such kind of martyrdom. What they are faced with is the battle of self-conversation. Dichotomy between the kind of easy, convenient life-style and the kind of sacrifices and deprivation asked of Christians. The right hand gives out; the left one steals. This is the issue of times. What the Gospel upholds, the world denies. What the rules out; society stamps their feet down. What the community teaches, the people unlearn. Living the Gospel messages is the call echoed far and wide to reach out. It does not suffice to only talk a lot about him but one must really talk to him. Living up to the challenges of Bible is to be witness to what we believe in.