Divine Intimacy Vol. 3: 003 by Gabriel Father

Author:Gabriel, Father [Gabriel, Father]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9780898701449
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2011-08-12T04:00:00+00:00

257. INCREASE OUR FAITH

Lord, I believe, help my unbelief (Mk 9:24)

1. Jesus has said: “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mk 9:23); it would seem that before an act of living faith, blind, unconditional faith, God does not know how to resist and considers himself almost obliged to heed our requests. The gospel tells us this on every page; before Jesus performed a miracle, he always asked for an act of faith: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Mt 9:28); and when faith was sincere, the miracle took place immediately: “According to your faith be it done to you” (ib. 29), he said to the two blind men; and to the woman suffering from a hemorrhage: “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well” (ib. 22). Jesus never said: my omnipotence has saved you and healed you, he says your faith, as though to make us understand that faith is the indispensable condition that he requires for benefiting from his omnipotence. Jesus, always omnipotent, will use his omnipotence only for the benefit of those who believe firmly in him. This is the reason the divine Master refused to work in Nazareth and Capharnaum the many miracles he performed elsewhere. The more lively our faith, the more powerful it is, with the very power of God. Jesus affirmed: “Truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” (Mt 17:20). Like all the words of the gospel, these also are true, literally true. If they are not effectual for us, it is only because our faith is weak. We often encounter difficulties in life which seem to us immovable mountains. Faults we cannot overcome, virtues we cannot seem to acquire, trials we cannot accept, or other kinds of difficulties. . . . All this brings on discouragement and lack of confidence. Only a little faith is needed, only as much as a mustard seed, provided that faith is living and capable of sprouting and growing like the mustard seed.

Sometimes the Lord delays in coming to our help because he does not find in us a faith that is alive and certain. He asks us: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” and we do not know how to answer: “Yes, Lord!” (Mt 9:28) with strength and determination. Every Christian should have the faith of the two blind men of the Gospel, or that of the Canaanite woman who was told: “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire” (Mt 15:28).

2. Great faith does not come of a sudden: it is the result of the seed that has fallen “on good soil,” that is, of the gift of faith entrusted to those who, “hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Lk 8:15).

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