June 22, 2022
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With Faith, The Times Would Change

With Faith, The Times Would Change

George Burns (Oh, God! movie)

A priest once gave a homily on the need for faith. After Mass a man came up and said, โ€œFather, those were nice-sounding words, but I donโ€™t buy them. I wonโ€™t believe what you just said until you explain to me why God allowed evil and suffering to come into the world.โ€ The priest responded gently but firmly, โ€œMy friend, thatโ€™s a foolish attitude, and Iโ€™ll prove it. Imagine youโ€™re on the fourth floor of a hotel and a fire breaks out. You ignore the warnings and alarmsโ€”until the flames reach the fourth floor. You go the window of your room, and the firemen down below urge you to jump into their netโ€”but you say, โ€˜No, Iโ€™ll not come down until you explain to me how and why the fire started.โ€™ Is that a reasonable attitude?โ€ The man was forced to admit that, no, it wasnโ€™t; a demand for immediate answers might make it very difficult to be saved (Msgr. Arthur Tonne, Stories for Sermons, Vol. 11, #149). The same thing is true for faith. While itโ€™s natural for us to want answers to our most important questions, itโ€™s foolish to expect to know and understand everything immediately. We have to work toward this, even if we have doubts, and we have to begin the process right away, instead of putting it off until it might be too late. When someone shouts โ€œFire!,โ€ we have to take this warning seriously and act instantly; when someone proclaims โ€œJesus is Lord!,โ€ we also have to respond. Faith is a gift, but it isnโ€™t just handed to us; we must do something to show we want it.

The description of the early Church given in Acts of the Apostles (2:42-47) might make it seem the original Christians lived in a perfect community, without any problems or concernsโ€” but in fact, they had to use Godโ€™s grace to overcome their weaknesses, including misunderstandings, fears, and doubts. St. Peter (1 Pt 1:3-9) tells us in that suffering for our faith helps purify it, making it more precious than gold, while at the same time honoring Jesus Christ. Believing in and obeying Him, despite any doubts we might have, is a powerful sign of our religious commitment.

Thomas the apostle (Jn 20:19-31) had to learn this lesson. It was difficult for him to take the first step of believing in the Risen Christโ€”even though Jesus had predicted He would die and be raised up on the third day. We might imagine Thomas saying to the other apostles, โ€œJesusโ€”risen? Cโ€™mon, guys, be reasonable. Things like that donโ€™t happen these days. Oh, sure, miracles occurred in the past, but not in our modern world. Look, I want to believe just as much as you do, but we have to be realistic.โ€ Thomas was willing to believe in Jesus only when he saw Him directly, or only when it was easy. Jesus gently chided him for this: โ€œDo not be unbelieving, but believe.โ€ There may be times when weโ€™re like Thomas, times when we donโ€™t take Christโ€™s teachings seriously, thinking to ourselves, โ€œLove our enemies? Pray for those who hate us? Forgive everyone? Cโ€™mon, be realistic.โ€ If we think like this, Jesus might say, โ€œWhat does it take to convince you I really mean it? Put your hand in My sideโ€”see what I suffered for youโ€”and believe.โ€

There was once a man who realized he was wasting his life; his faith was very weak, and it seemed God had deserted him. In desperation he prayed, โ€œLord, just give me back my peace of mind, and Iโ€™ll do anything You want.โ€ Then it seemed as if God were speaking directly to him; the message was, โ€œStart living out the Gospel; start living by My Sonโ€™s teachings, even though you donโ€™t understand them.โ€ The message was unmistakable, and so the man resolved to do this; from that moment on he tried to live entirely according to the teachings of Jesus. It wasnโ€™t always easy, and sometimes he failed, but he did make the effortโ€”and his life turned around. The man found meaning and peace, and in the process he learned an important lesson. As he said, โ€œI learned to hear the word [of God] and act upon itโ€ (Mark J. Link, S.J., Illustrated Sunday Homilies, Year A, Series I, p. 33).

This lesson is simple but profoundly important: faith isnโ€™t only believing; itโ€™s also acting on that belief. I remember the 1977 movie โ€œOh, God!,โ€ in which the actor George Burns played Almighty God Himself. One line in particular stood out for me; God said, โ€œI know these are difficult times in which to have faithโ€”but maybe if you had the faith to start with, the times would change.โ€ Faith isnโ€™t just about believing in Godโ€™s existence; itโ€™s also about allowing this belief to change our world, and change ourselves. One Catholic scholar said, โ€œIf you want to strengthen your faith, donโ€™t add to your intellectual arguments for believing, but weed out your passionsโ€โ€”in other words, we must work to overcome our faults, make a serious effort to grow in virtue, and try to live as Jesus taught.

Faith becomes real when we show we want it; faith becomes powerful when we strive to live it. Itโ€™s not supposed to be easy to believe, especially when faith contradicts worldly โ€œwisdom.โ€ God gives the gift of faith, but we must express our desire for itโ€”as in the example of the father of a possessed boy who once cried out to Jesus, โ€œLord, I do believe; help my lack of belief!โ€ (Mk. 9:24). If we but make an honest effort to live out the faith weโ€™ve been given, God will sustain us, and Jesusโ€™ words will be true for us: โ€œBlessed are those who have not seen and have believed.โ€

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Written by
Fr Joseph Esper

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