Faith was and continues to be an important part of my life. I was fortunate to be born into a family of faith, where my parents and extended family taught me the importance of living a life of faith, and even more importantly, to safeguard my faith.

As a kid born and raised in Brooklyn, I loved going to the beach during the summer. I had friends who lived on Long Island who would invite me to spend the day at the beach with them. I enjoyed having sand in between my toes and lounging in the sun.

I have had the tremendous joy of making two pilgrimages to the Holy Land. My first was as a transitional deacon with my seminary classmates along with the Rector and Vice-Rector of the seminary.

Just before my ordination 15 years ago, one of my aunts gave me a beautiful gift — a framed image of Jesus with a Spanish inscription: “A Jesucristo es imposible conocerle y no amarle, amarle y no seguirle.”

As a student at the major seminary, I remember going to our canon law professor after class one day.

“Tell me who you walk with and I’ll tell you who you are.” My father said these words to me very often in my youth, and I’m sure other wise fathers have said similar words to other knucklehead sons.

Last Sunday’s Gospel told us how Jesus, moved with pity at the crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd, commissioned the apostles, saying, “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.”

The Gospels don’t give us very many biographical details about the Twelve Apostles, and this biblical scholar — among others — wishes there were more. In Sunday’s Gospel they are identified by name as those who answered Jesus’ call to work in the abundant harvest of the Gospel.

Fear is a common human experience, but Sacred Scripture consistently reminds the faithful that God walks with us, especially through our darkest hour.

Sometimes we meet someone who has the gift of bringing people together. But once they are gone, everyone seems to drift apart.