The readings for today have inspired me to reflect on FAITH. What is faith? According to Webster, faith is unquestioning belief, complete trust or confidence in God. The Baltimore Catechism defines faith as the theological virtue by which we believe all that God has revealed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that faith is a personal act, which is the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself.
In the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 6), we first meet Stephen, a deacon and “a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit”. “Now Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people”. Stephen is then accused of blasphemy and he gives a lengthy discourse on Israel’s lack of faith throughout the years.
In today’s reading (Acts 7:51-8:1), Stephen said, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors”. Stephen is pointing out to the Jews that they have hardened hearts and closed minds. They have no faith because they do not believe that Jesus, who was crucified and rose from the dead, is the true Messiah. When Stephen accuses them of murdering Jesus, the Jews become “infuriated”.
“But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, ...said, “Behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”. The people surrounded Stephen and threw him out of the city. “As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’. Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’.” Then he died. Here we see a similarity between Stephen’s last words and the words of Jesus dying on the cross. Stephen was a true model of Jesus!
Stephen is the first martyr of the Catholic Church. He died for God and for his beliefs. This is not possible without an extremely deep faith and love for the Lord, such as Stephen possessed.
How is a deep faith possible? First, we need to have awareness and knowledge of God. Then we need to open our hearts in order to receive the gift of faith, which God offers to each and every one of us. The gift is before us, but we must open it, use it and treasure it. If the gift of faith remains in the box, it is useless.
Another aspect of faith is that it goes hand in hand with love and hope. If we have a true faith in God, it will be possible to become a more loving person. Since God is love, we will desire to grow in the image and likeness of God. Also with a true faith in God, we will have hope in the future, that is eternal life with God. If we have hope in God, nothing in this life should really matter!
There are several verses from chapter 2 in the letter of St. James, regarding faith, which I find very inspiring:
Verse 14
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?"
Verse 17
"So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Verse 26
"For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
What St.. James is saying, is that just as the spirit gives life to the body, so too good works give life to faith.
To love God we must pray sincerely, give Him thanks always, willingly accept our suffering and unite it with Christ's suffering and do everything joyfully in the name of God. To love others we must be kind, helpful, thoughtful, patient, generous and self-sacrificing. When we perform these actions willingly, we have a deep, loving faith; a faith that will bring us to everlasting life with God.
So where are you on your faith journey? Are you in need of some changes? Perhaps this would be a good time to move forward.
In the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 6), we first meet Stephen, a deacon and “a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit”. “Now Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people”. Stephen is then accused of blasphemy and he gives a lengthy discourse on Israel’s lack of faith throughout the years.
In today’s reading (Acts 7:51-8:1), Stephen said, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors”. Stephen is pointing out to the Jews that they have hardened hearts and closed minds. They have no faith because they do not believe that Jesus, who was crucified and rose from the dead, is the true Messiah. When Stephen accuses them of murdering Jesus, the Jews become “infuriated”.
“But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, ...said, “Behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”. The people surrounded Stephen and threw him out of the city. “As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’. Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’.” Then he died. Here we see a similarity between Stephen’s last words and the words of Jesus dying on the cross. Stephen was a true model of Jesus!
Stephen is the first martyr of the Catholic Church. He died for God and for his beliefs. This is not possible without an extremely deep faith and love for the Lord, such as Stephen possessed.
How is a deep faith possible? First, we need to have awareness and knowledge of God. Then we need to open our hearts in order to receive the gift of faith, which God offers to each and every one of us. The gift is before us, but we must open it, use it and treasure it. If the gift of faith remains in the box, it is useless.
Another aspect of faith is that it goes hand in hand with love and hope. If we have a true faith in God, it will be possible to become a more loving person. Since God is love, we will desire to grow in the image and likeness of God. Also with a true faith in God, we will have hope in the future, that is eternal life with God. If we have hope in God, nothing in this life should really matter!
There are several verses from chapter 2 in the letter of St. James, regarding faith, which I find very inspiring:
Verse 14
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?"
Verse 17
"So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Verse 26
"For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
What St.. James is saying, is that just as the spirit gives life to the body, so too good works give life to faith.
To love God we must pray sincerely, give Him thanks always, willingly accept our suffering and unite it with Christ's suffering and do everything joyfully in the name of God. To love others we must be kind, helpful, thoughtful, patient, generous and self-sacrificing. When we perform these actions willingly, we have a deep, loving faith; a faith that will bring us to everlasting life with God.
So where are you on your faith journey? Are you in need of some changes? Perhaps this would be a good time to move forward.
Marie Perrone
Marie,
ReplyDeleteI loved your reflection! You really captured FAITH from all angles. I especially liked "What St.. James is saying, is that just as the spirit gives life to the body, so too good works give life to faith." Thanks for a great blog!
God Bless! Lori Snyder