Jesus told only one person in the Gospels that she had great faith. Although I am sure Mary, Joseph, and others had great faith, the Canaanite woman was the only person mentioned in the Gospels to have been told by Jesus: "You have great faith!" (Mt 15:28)

Pope John Paul II has maintained that the primary reason for the various crises in our world is the crisis of faith. Under these circumstances, I would expect that the Lord is raising up men and women of great faith. Would you volunteer to be one of those men or women of great faith? If so, to show that you are truly willing to be a man or woman of great faith:

• Pray daily for great faith, especially by praying the Mass and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently.
• Hear, read, share, and do God's word daily, for faith "comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of Christ" (Rm 10:17).
• Devote yourself to Christian community (see Acts 2:42), the ideal atmosphere to grow in faith, and radically curtail involvement in the culture of death, which has proven to destroy faith with an unprecedented efficiency.
• Exercise the faith you have.

If we volunteer to be men and women of great faith, and if we show we are serious about this, the Lord will probably make us men and women of great faith, which is what the world needs more than anything else. "All depends on faith" (Rm 4:16).

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Richard L. Klug, January 16, 2004

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 26, 2004