In the gospel reading of this 21st Sunday in ordinary times, Peter said, “Lord, where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. This was his answer when Christ asked if the apostles were not going to leave Him, just as many of the disciples had done after hearing His teaching about the Eucharist.
There is no doubt that the teachings of our faith can sometimes be very hard to take. People question the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, whether there is heaven and hell, the veracity of the sacrament of reconciliation, why should we honor Our Blessed Mother, whether God truly exists, etc. The fact is that it is increasingly more difficult for people to walk by faith, and not by sight. Yet, Scripture tells us that, without faith, it is impossible to please.
The question, then, is how do we develop a faith like Peter’s whereby we can see and relate to God through the eyes of Jesus, not the eyes of man? Growing in faith does not happen overnight; it is a life’s long journey of believing and doing things that are faith empowering, such as:
A. Believing that you are a child of God. Faith begins with a firm believe that I am a child of God and chosen and loved by Him unconditionally. That God knows me by name and that, while trials and difficulties may come my way in this life, He will never abandon, reject, betray, or leave me desolate. That God has the power to move, remove, or walk me through every valley of darkness, no wonder Scripture says; “Even if I walk in the valley of darkness, no evil will I fear for you are there with your rod and staff to give me comfort.
B. Believing that God is faithful. Faith requires an unconditional trust that God is faithful and that when He says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” He means it. So, I need to believe that because God is all-powerful and all knowing, nothing that comes my way, in this life, will ever surprise Him for He is bigger than any trial or tribulation that life may throw at me and that He is capable of turning any situation around, mourning into dancing, tears into songs, and failures into blessings. Remember that “Every promise of God is yes in God and Amen unto us in Christ Jesus”.
C. Guard against falling into lukewarmness. It is easy to become complacent with our faith, to become cluttered and distracted with the messy stuff of life, and to start neglecting our prayer and spiritual life. We need to stay constantly in the purview of the Holy Spirit who is the power of God to comfort in times of grief, solace in moments of difficulty, direction in moments of confusion, courage in moments of despondency, and hope in times of disappointments.
D. Be pro-active with your faith. One of the strongest ways to build faith is to be true disciples of stewardship by finding ways to serve the Lord among His people—lectors that proclaims His word, ministers of Holy Communion, hands that feed the hungry and touch the sick with compassion, talent that initiates and drives programs to keep the Church alive and growing, catechist who hand down our Catholic tradition to the younger generation, stewards of treasure to help keep the Church’s doors open and running, ministers of hospitality that welcome people into our worship space, etc. The more we find ways to serve God among His people, the deeper our faith grows in the God of faithfulness.
My friends, growing an unshakeable faith is not a one-day job. It is something we must devote time to grow by practicing it in our day to day living with a consistent, persistent, and unyielding spirit. May God grant us the grace to be faithful to our faith.
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