How Is the Faith that Saves Us?
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.”Ps. 107
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”James 2:17
Many claim to believe in God, but it’s a faith that carries no consequences for them, nor does it manifest in their lives beyond occasionally attending mass; otherwise, they think about everything as the world they are immersed in, valuing only the earthly, for that culture which constantly indoctrinates turned its back on God and preferred darkness to light, the temporal to the eternal, of which it neither knows nor wants to know.
It’s a weak faith, lacking sufficient knowledge or ability to withstand some objections. They cannot give a reason for their faith, and since they do not care for it or nourish it, it is easily lost; it is reduced to a mere belief, an opinion, which is deemed laughable in today’s world and in the eyes of the common consensus of the people, as it is considered without any foundation and typical of credulous people; it’s comparable to believing in ghosts or elves…
Many others believe they have a slightly better level of faith because their faith, they think, leads them to commit to attending mass on Sundays. But in many cases, it’s not due to a higher faith but out of habit, for faith should manifest in life, in many things beyond attending mass every week. In many cases, these, although they think they are better than those at the previous level, are the same, for there is no distinction in their lives, they have similar aspirations, ambitions, values, and lack of knowledge, the same inability to give a reason for their faith.
It’s easy to settle at this level because it’s not difficult to attend mass once a week and they believe that with that they are okay with God, but they have no deeper knowledge of their faith or still think about everything as the pagan world around them, with earthly aspirations. It’s easy to stay there because they see that they harm no one, and with that, they feel good enough. But this does not require faith; it’s enough to be civilized and have two brain cells to not harm others. But this is not enough, Jesus did not come into the world just for us to be good and not cause harm.
What does God want? Why was God so radical that He became man and went to the extreme of enduring death on the cross? What is the faith He wants us to have?
“Eternal life consists in knowing you, Father, and the one you sent, JC.”John 17:3
The first thing is to know everything He came to reveal to us and ask of us, for only then can we appreciate it, love it, and please Him with our lives. Hardly could we do that without that knowledge of what He came to teach us and ask of us. It’s not enough to believe He exists; we must know Him and believe everything He taught us, so that we can please Him and only then can we love Him and experience Him.
Weekly Readings
Sunday: Jb 38:1, 8-11/Ps 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31 (1b)/2 Cor 5:14-17/Mk 4:35-41
Monday: Is 49:1-6/Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15/Acts 13:22-26/Lk 1:57-66, 80
Tuesday: 2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36/Ps 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 10-11/Mt 7:6, 12-14
Wednesday: 2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3/Ps 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40/Mt 7:15-20
Thursday: 2 Kgs 24:8-17/Ps 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9/Mt 7:21-29
Friday: 2 Kgs 25:1-12/Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6/Mt 8:1-4
Saturday:
Vigil: Acts 3:1-10/Ps 19:2-3, 4-5/Gal 1:11-20/Jn 21:15-19
Day: Acts 12:1-11/34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9/2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18/Mt 16:13-19
Next Sunday: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24/Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13 (2a)/2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15/Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Thursday: St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Friday: Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
Saturday: Sts. Peter And Paul, Apostles
Next Sunday: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
