5/14/2014 – Thursday of 4th week of Easter – Acts 13:15-23

      In our first reading today, Paul speaks out in the synagogue, talking to the people bout their shared history that they have with God as the people of Israel. He gives a mini-history of the people of Israel, from their Exodus from bondage in Egypt to God’s selection of kings for the nation of Israel to the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Since coming to Mississippi in 2000, I have enjoyed learning about the history of this very interesting state, from the battlefields of the Civil War, to the Lebanese and Italian immigrants who brought their Catholic faith to the Mississippi Delta, to the great flood of the Mississippi River in 1927.  Our faith community of Tupelo has a long, interesting history as well, as we celebrate our 100 years as a Catholic community here in Tupelo.   From the Barrett family over on Barrett Ridge in the town of Saltillo, to the Benedictine priests who traveled here from Alabama to celebrate mass, to the families who moved here from the Midwest, our Catholic community here in Tupelo has a very interesting history as well.  Looking at our history helps us learn about where we came from and it helps us understand where we are going. Our faith, however, is not just about the past.  Our faith lives in the present and leads us toward are destiny.  May our history help guide us and lead us ever closer to God.