Faith - The Art of Trusting

Thus says the LORD. In the Old Testament, like in today’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah, God speaks through the prophets to share with the people his promises to offer salvation to the Israelites. Yet over time, the people of Israel, and now, us Catholics, have yet to see the full fulfillment of these promises… leaving us to wonder, if or when will these promises will be realized.

I think we tend to wonder or even doubt, knowing the history of conflicts and wars in the Holy Land region.

Doubt is a big obstacle to many of us in our journey of faith. Some of us, come to Mass with different things that weigh our hearts down. For some who attend Masses religiously and still carry pains and struggles, their faith grows weaker every time their prayers are left unanswered.

I believe Lent is a period in which we enter into the history of our faith to be mindful again, what does faith mean to us, and how faith is supposed to help us.

In the Gospel, the evangelist Saint John reminds us of what Jesus himself testified after he entered into public ministry in Galilee, he said, “a prophet has no honor in his native place”. In the Gospel of Mark, the account continues to say that “He could not do any miracles there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” Reminding us that it was due to the lack of faith, and not the lack of desire from Jesus, that He was not able to do much for the people.”

Today, however, because the Galileans have seen what all he had done in Jerusalem, they welcomed him. In this new situation of a new faith in Jesus, he was able to perform another miracle to heal the son of the royal official.

Jesus remarks, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” To me, He said this because He knew that the official had not truly believed that he had healed his son, at least, not until his salves informed him of the healing.

Hence, the question for us gathered here today is, where does our faith stand in times of our needs? Do we need to see what we ask of God happen before us and therefore we profess our faith, or do we have faith that God has a plan for us, even when we do not personally witness the grace that we ask for?

Does our faith shake when we are in trouble? Or does it keep us rooted in the belief that God knows what we are doing.

The Eucharist that we are able to receive is the source and summit of our faith. It should remind us of God’s love and willingness to lead us to salvation. It should be the sacred sustenance for us to journey through the good and the bad experiences in our life.

Mother Teresa, in her diary, wrote that for years, she was unable to hear God in her personal prayer life. Yet, she made sure that all the sisters in her community, including herself, began each day in worship and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. I think this shows her faith, I think she reminds us that faith shouldn’t rely on signs and wonders, because if WE hold on faithfully to the belief that God is with US, our perseverance will lead us towards the promises God made to all creation from the beginning of time.

May this Lent be a season that we deepen our faith, not so that miracles can be done for us. Instead, may the deepening of our faith, give us the momentum to continue Christ’s work in the world, to make the promises God made a reality for the people we serve.