Father Michael’s Homily
Jesus tells us that with faith we can do far more than we could accomplish by our own strength; faith can even move mountains and raise the dead (see Matthew 17:20; Mark 11:23). Faith transforms our lives and can-do miraculous things through us and for us. What kind of faith did Jesus have in mind here? By faith Jesus meant more than just belief in God and in his power. Jesus spoke of faith as something dynamic, active, very alive, personal and communal, and above all expectant. What then is faith? Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him (CCC 153) and Faith is also a virtue, a habit of the soul, which disposes the person to surrender one’s mind and heart to God. St. Paul calls this free submission of intellect and will “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5).
An expectant faith is required in the living out of our Christian creed. An expectant faith enables us to cooperate with God’s grace and power for accomplishing whatever God wants us to do. Pope Francis in Lumen Fidei wrote; Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives. Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see and so radically changed inwardly it enables us to see reality with new eyes. This encounter with God culminating in Christ, consist in the willingness to let ourselves be constantly transformed and renewed by God’s call, allowing grace penetrates the depths of our being; making us adopted children of God and shearers in the divine nature. This further modifies our relationships with one another, re-defines our place in the world and opens us to God’s life of communion.
For faith to be effective then it must be linked with trust and obedience — an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands. Faith gives us a new reliability, a new firmness, a steadfast conviction in God and an enduring love for all people. Faith gives us vibrancy of heart and spirit. A vibrancy that hold the word of God passionately and intelligently. Whenever we are at our worst and lowest moments, we can turn our faith — the greatest force in the world. Lord, increase our faith.
Father Michael