http://www.usccb.org/nab/100310.shtml
In the Second Letter from Paul to the Corinthians, we can find the line “we walk by faith and not by sight.” This is an ironic statement in a way because faith is not something that be cannot be directly seen by the human eye. Of course anyone can make a case that you can ‘see’ faith in other ways, but faith is the great intangible part of being a Catholic.
The word faith is tossed around a lot and can represent different things. But in it’s essence faith can be equated to trust. If someone says to you “have faith,” your question could be “in what?” Having faith shows you trust, or believe, in something or someone. Take our American currency for example. “In God we trust” can be found on every coin and dollar bill. It was made our national motto in 1956 through an act of Congress and affirmation by President Eisenhower. During the time of the Cold War, Congress stated “as long as this country trusts in God, it will prevail.” In other words, if the people of the United States have faith in God, we will rise above any adversity. So we can see that faith can be equated to trust.
The readings this week basically encourage us to have faith in God. Through hard times and good times, God is there for us as our strength. If we have this faith in God, we should not be worried about troubles that may come our way. As in the first reading, it is a natural human reaction to pray to God more in times of trouble. “The just one, because of his faith, shall live,” we hear. Faith can save us from despair.
But having this faith is not always easy. In the second reading, Paul is writing to Timothy to maintain his faith and be strong for the purpose of his ministry. Using the strength God gives us can get us through the hardships which come with living out the Gospel. Paul chooses an interesting line to encourage Timothy to keep up his ministry. He tells him to “stir into the flame the gift of God.” To stir, in this case, to rouse something and what he’s hoping Timothy will do is take the spark of faith within him and make it a burning fire. Our faith can be like a flame which needs to be fed to grow.
Faith should not be looked at based on size though. Even the smallest amount of faith can bring forth good things. When the Apostles prompt Jesus to “increase our faith,” Jesus talks them through another lesson as to why they have asked the wrong question again. Faith is not measured by size. If we are to be good Catholics, we need to have faith in God and expect nothing in return, as Jesus teaches. We are servants of the Lord, put on this Earth to do God’s work. We cannot expect to be re-paid for our faith, but in an ironic twist, if we have faith in God during our lives, we trust that we will be among His chosen ones in His kingdom.
