Faith on the Road – Holy Angels, Mt Airy, NC

We take our Faith (our RV) to Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Yes, the home of Andy Griffith and Mayberry. Our first night in town we rushed out to find a Saturday evening Mass. The best we could reach in a timely manner took us to Holy Angels.

The Mass was held in their hall behind the church – I don’t know by. But, it was fully setup for Mass with stations of the cross in the surrounding walls and and incredible painting depicting the moment of Jesus’ death hung over the tabernacle.

The priest makes this a church worth attending. He is from Cameroon. Has a light accent and very solid command of English. His homily was 25 minutes and touched upon some incredible points of God’s Divine Mercy – we were there on Divine Mercy Sunday Vigil Mass.

He said how one has to be foolish to accept God’s Mercy. I won’t capture it as well as he did, but, he said to think of Jesus’s sacrifice is to think of the foolishness of God. God, in Jesus, could have chosen in His mighty power to save mankind in so many other ways than the passion and death on the cross. But, He chose this vessel of Mercy to teach mankind that forgiveness and mercy have a price. Jesus paid this price on the cross but, each of us must also pay the price of God’s mercy. That price is foolishness. To speak or sins to the priest, and expect forgiveness is sheer folly. But, that is precisely what we get. But, the shame of speaking our sins to another man (even if that man is just a shroud over Jesus Himself) isn’t all we pay. Embarrassment is just the start – Jesus suffered far more than the shame of being stripped in front of everyone, even His mom.

We also must pay a price of penance in reconciliation. Jesus’ sacrifice shows us penance is due as a sacrifice to receive His Mercy. He doesn’t desire we suffer. But, God knows we must face some sort of punishment for our wrongs if we are to feel we can move forward. Penance gives us that and a way to physically, mentally and spiritual break away from the habit of sin.

We must face our sinfulness and become fools for Christ’s mercy to break the hold sin has over our life. When we turn toward God, we do what the world says is foolishness but what we know is wisdom and redemption.