Deepening Our Faith: Greater Will Be the Glory

Greater will be the glory of this house the latter more than the former—says the Lord of hosts; And in this place I will give you peace-oracle of the Lord of hosts.

Haggai 2:9

This verse is talking about the new place of worship and yet I think we can also claim it as a verse to take with us as many of us move to new homes, new bases, new cities, new states, and for some, new countries.

Summer is a busy PCS season for many of us. This can make it a difficult season. Moving is not easy and I’m not just talking about the physical part of moving. Leaving our friends and family behind is really hard. It is also difficult to leave our church family and yet I think our attitude toward the move can make all the difference.

If we adopt this verse from the Book of Haggai, it might help us go into the move with a better attitude and therefore make the move easier for us.

Greater will be the glory of this house the latter more than the former—says the Lord of hosts; And in this place I will give you peace-oracle of the Lord of hosts.

If we go into the move expecting greater glory for our new house and greater peace, then that is what we will find. Our minds are more powerful than we think and our thoughts matter. Our mind believes what we tell it and if we tell it that we are going have an awesome move, we will have an awesome move. Not because everything goes perfectly, but because we are looking at things differently. We are expecting to see awesome things and so we do.

Each time we move, we need to find a new church, a new hairdresser, all new friends. The hardest of these is probably finding a new church. It can be especially hard if you really liked your last church and if you were really involved. However, it is essential to your spiritual growth.

One of the best ways to grow in our faith is to get involved in a faith community. If you are reading this article, you have probably gotten involved with the Military Council of Catholic Women (MCCW) at some point. Maybe you have joined the Catholic Women of the Chapel (CWOC) at every base you have lived and maybe you just joined, and this is your first newsletter. Either way, I am sure you have been able to see the importance of having a faith community.

Why is having a faith community so important?

First, we are not meant to do this alone. Even Jesus chose the 12 disciples to do life with for His 3 years of public ministry. When you have a community of people that all believe the same things you believe and are all striving for the same thing you are striving for, you can help each other grow, you can push each other. Another thing that is great about joining a faith community is that everyone is not usually in the same place on their spiritual journey. You might be struggling with someone and yet the person next to you might have just gotten through that stage and can help you through it. Likewise, you might be further along than the next person and you can help them through it.

Having others along for the ride also makes the journey more fun. It’s never fun to feel like you are all alone. Many of us feel this way and yet if we are able to be open and talk to others, we find out we are not alone. Everyone is struggling in this life in one way or another. It’s great if we can be there for others and if others are there for us. This is a bit easier if you are moving to a military base as military members seem to understand this need for community a bit more than the civilian parishes do. However, I have been at some outstanding civilian parishes as well.

Wherever it is you are moving, get involved, find a faith community and it will make a much smoother transition.

I pray each and every one of you has an amazing summer! If you are moving, I pray that the Holy Spirit guides all aspects of the move and that you find an amazing faith community at your new base.

In Christ,

Catherine Duggan

Retired Air Force Spouse, Writer and Podcaster

Deepening Our Faith: Greater Will Be the Glory