(Audio)
In the readings today we see the contrast between faith and the lack of it.
Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
The crowd is unable to accept it when Jesus tells them that he himself is the bread of life and that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life. The crowds had been able to delight in the mildly miraculous. Being fed by the multiplication of the loaves and witnessing healings an exorcisms was something they would believe. They might not understand the how in those situations. But they understood the why. They understood how their own happiness was directly related to what was happening.
What happens when Jesus tells us something and we not only don't understand the how but also don't understand the why? Are we willing to believe that Jesus knows better than we do what will make for our happiness and flourishing? We may not understand the how. We may not even understand the why. But if we understand that the voice speaking to us is good nevertheless will we listen?
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.
In the Acts of the Apostles, we see in some disciples another profound example of faith. They believed that Peter could help Tabitha even though Tabitha was already dead. They didn't allow questions about the why of the death to interfere with their faith.
Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,
sent two men to him with the request,
“Please come to us without delay.”
Faith isn't meant to help us only to believe in things which seem plausible or understandable to us. It is meant to help us transcend the limits of our own understanding.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (see Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is the necessary gateway to all the blessings of the Kingdom. We sometimes see the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit as a program of personal development that we must struggle through as opposed to faith, which we reserve for special occasions. When we find ourselves stuck, when we aren't bearing fruit for the kingdom, we need faith first. We need faith to underlie everything we try, for "Everything that does not proceed from faith is sin" (see Romans 14:23). But what proceeds from genuine faith always attains its end.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (see Mark 11:24).
Are we struggling with anything today? We probably are. None of us is likely to say that all of the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit are perfectly evident in our lives. If that is so, let us pick one and start from belief rather than struggle. For example, we say (hopefully out loud) "I have complete joy in the Holy Spirit" as an act of faith. Every time contrary thoughts come we keep speaking it again until they are silenced.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (see Second Corinthians 10:5).
When we begin with faith we can end with praise like that of the psalmist.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
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