At Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Mass, the Lord will call us to make the greatest act of faith in our lives. We will be asked three questions: "Do you have faith in the Father? In the Son? In the Holy Spirit?" We will be able to answer these questions with faith only if we have first answered three other questions: "Do we reject Satan? All his works? All his empty promises?" To reject the many thousands of Satan's works and empty promises is a humanly impossible act of faith, which can only be done by grace.

To strengthen our faith in preparation for the greatest act of faith at Easter, the Church reads to us from the Gospel of John, beginning today and throughout most of the remaining weekdays of Lent. John's Gospel was specifically written to help us have faith "that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that through this faith" we may have life in His name (Jn 20:31). Like the royal official in today's Gospel reading, in this last half of Lent we are being increasingly challenged by Jesus to have faith in His words (Jn 4:50). Each one of us and each of our households are called to believe in Jesus as never before (see Jn 4:53).

Very soon, we will be called to make the greatest act of faith in our lives when we renew our baptismal promises. At that hour of faith, the sick will be healed (see Jn 4:52-53), mountains of sin will be moved (Mt 17:20), the strongholds of the evil one will crumble (2 Cor 10:4), and the victory of the risen Christ will be applied to our lives. By faith, we will have Easter and life. Increase your faith (Lk 17:5).

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, September 13, 2012

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