Fides Sperando | To Have Faith

"To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." - Hebrews 11:1.

Faith and reason are like two hands of a human being. We need them to live a peaceful and happy life. But at the same time, we need a good balance between them.

As children, we start our existence on the earth by believing. First of all, we trust that our beloved ones are telling the truth. We follow their advice and learn everything from them. It is very similar to the faith in God. We see the beauty of nature and praise the Creator. We hear the songs of birds and we get astonished. We start to believe that there is Someone who governs the universe. Step by step we try to understand the laws of nature and our own existence. 

We cannot come to God if we do not have faith that he exists (Heb 11:6). We cannot love him with our whole heart if we are not sure that he created us as a result of his love towards us. For that reason, we look for God. We want to meet him and hear his voice. We also experience that it is impossible to live without God's grace. As small children, we open our eyes and use our ears to listen to his words. We know that following his ordinances makes us secure and glad. Although we live on the earth as foreigners, we keep God's promise about the heavenly kingdom. Moreover, we are waiting for the gift of eternal life. 

With divine grace, we overcome all the difficulties and challenges. With divine words, we understand our situation and circumstances. With divine love, we are able to look up in the sky and see the miracles. Even if our life comes to the end, we do not give up. On the contrary, we believe in God more and more. We do long for a happy life in the presence of all holy people and angels. We are going to become partakers of the paradise with our beloved ones. 

It is faith that makes us able to cross the boundary between present and future life. It is faith that makes the wall of death fall down. It is faith that keeps us alive in face of all dangers. Thanks to our faith we do what is right and receive what God promises. Thanks to our faith we are strong and defeat all our enemies. 

Eventually, even if the world is not good enough for us, we always win thanks to our faith.  

Reflection on Hebrews 11: 1-40 by Fr. Józef Trzebuniak, SVD.

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