how much do you want greater faith?
"The man had faith in the word Jesus spoke to him." —John 4:50, our transl.
In less than three weeks, we will be renewing our baptismal promises. If God has His way, we will make the greatest act of faith we have ever made. The Lord is giving us the grace to increase our faith.
We grow in faith by:
- praying for greater faith (Lk 17:5),
- hearing God through His word in the Church and especially in her Scriptures (Rm 10:17),
- suffering in the pattern of Jesus' death (see Phil 3:10), and
- exercising our faith as we let the Lord put us in situations where we will need to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).
We naturally look at life on the basis of pleasure, comfort, and ease. We look for the path of least resistance so that we can stay in our "comfort zone." Supernaturally, we should look for the cross, which is not the "comfort zone" but the "faith zone." A good day is not when we get what we want but when our faith has deepened — even if we had to suffer. Let us live not only in faith but for greater faith.
After we pray the "Our Father" at Mass, we ask the Lord to look at our faith. The Lord is looking for faith (see Jn 4:48). So the question is: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" (Lk 18:8, our transl.)
Prayer: Father, show me the strengths or weaknesses of my faith as I deal with the circumstances of this week.
Promise: "He and his whole household thereupon became believers." —Jn 4:53
Praise: Johanna frequently utters the words: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!"
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Baptismal Promises on audio AV 83-1, AV 84-1, AV 84-3.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, August 18, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 25, 2001