THE PROPER RESPONSE TO FAITH
We must constantly
remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is the center of our faith. The demons
driven out by Jesus had more insight than many people today. They declared to
Jesus, "You are the Son of God." The identity of Jesus is the crucial
question of the Gospel and of our faith.
Think of it this
way. Jesus cured Peter's mother-in-law of a severe fever, but there were more
people similarly ill in Palestine whom he did not cure. Jesus laid his hands on
those with various diseases and healed them, but there were many more sick
people throughout the world at the time with which he never came in contact.
Jesus worked His miracles out of a motive of compassion, but he was even more
concerned with drawing people to Himself in faith. The response of faith is
much more important than a cure or a healing. Our eternal future, not just a
lifetime, depends on the proper response of faith.
I want to share a
story with you. A little girl really seemed to believe in the power of prayer.
Her parents frequently were amazed at the boldness with which their daughter
prayed, and in her unswerving confidence that God had not only heard her
prayers, but was in the process of answering them in the way she desired.
One day her older
brother made a little trap to catch sparrows, and the girl found this very
offensive. She felt sorry for the birds that might be caught, and was angry and
upset that her brother would do such a thing. When he failed to respond to her
arguments and pleas, she informed him and her entire family, "I'm going to
pray about this."
Three nights later
her face seemed almost radiant as she said her bedtime prayers, voicing with
absolute faith her belief that the traps would be futile and that no birds
would be harmed. After she had finished her prayer, her mother asked,
"child, how can you be so positive about this?"
The little girl
smiled and said, "because I went out three days ago and kicked the trap to
pieces."
While it may be
unwise to take every matter into our own hands, we are always wise to begin by
putting all matters into God's hands!
This little girl had strong faith and prayed
to God and believed that her prayer was heard. We too must have that same faith
and with that faith share it with others. We are all called to that ministry
through our baptism.
We cannot put
ourselves into the position of accepting Jesus only if he pleases our sense of
need or values. We must not limit Him to our view. He is the Son of God and
that truth of faith should be enough for us to attach ourselves to Him without
condition.
As we acclaimed in
the Responsorial Psalm: may we trust in the mercy and goodness of God...