How to Awaken Faith
4th Sunday of Lent
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”Ps. 23
One problem in healing blindness or transmitting faith is that we cannot really transmit it—we can only awaken it. We cannot produce growth in anyone but ourselves; we can only stir it up or try to provoke it. But each person must undertake their own study and learning, and each one has their own pace of maturation.
Apparently, we may be on the same page and at the same level because we pray the same rosary, attend the same Eucharist, belong to the same group, or are part of the same seminary or novitiate, where we follow the same teachings and schedule. Yet we may be at very different levels of spiritual growth. In any of these groups, what is done is correct, in order to awaken faith: witness, preaching, teaching, encouragement—through word and example. But the fruit will depend on each receiver, for they are different kinds of soil. Some are in spiritual kindergarten and others in a doctorate program, with all the intermediate levels in between.
That is why the Gospel says:
“There will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left”Luke 17:34-37
Outwardly they appear to be doing the same thing, yet one may be saved and the other condemned, because this is decided in the heart of each person—by the intention, by the degree of adhesion to those truths and prayers. We see appearances; only God sees the heart.
The problem is that great saints have written beautiful prayers that we love, and we recite or sing them because we admire them and because they express depth of maturity, love, consecration, and holiness. But expressing or singing those words does not mean we have already achieved that level. It is easy to speak with our lips while keeping our hearts far from God, attached to idols. One can remain spiritually immature while repeating prayers, singing, praying rosaries, and appearing holy.
Does that mean we should avoid prayers said only with the lips? Should we refrain from praying the Our Father until we can say it fully from the heart? I do not think that is the point. Rather, we must become aware that saying, singing, or even preaching something does not mean we already live it or have reached that level of holiness. We must strive to help our spirit grow in love for God, seeking that the words we speak flow from the sincerity of the heart.
We will awaken in others the level of faith that we ourselves live. And in order to live it, we must truly desire and seek to live it deeply—so as to be children of the light and to heal all blindness and darkness.
Triduum
Question: I haven’t attended Triduum services before. What happens that’s different from a normal Sunday Mass?
Answer:
The liturgies during Holy Week are unique and rich in symbolism. The Mass for Palm Sunday follows the pattern of the day 2,000 years ago when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It includes a Gospel reading outside the church building and the entrance of the priest into the sanctuary while the congregation waves palms.
The Holy Thursday Mass also follows the rhythm of the ancient Last Supper. The presider washes the feet of members of the congregation, like Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. After Mass, all remaining hosts are taken to an altar of repose, where adoration of the Blessed Sacrament occurs late into the night. Parishioners can remain like the disciples in Gethsemane, asked to “watch and pray.”
On Good Friday, we celebrate another special liturgical service. Following the Liturgy of the Word, there is a communal reverencing of the cross. The intercessions are solemn and include prayers for many different groups of people, reminding us that Jesus’ passion is for the whole world. There is no Liturgy of the Eucharist. Hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday are distributed, after which the tabernacle is empty. The tabernacle remains empty through Holy Saturday—just as Jesus departed from this earthly world in death—and we wait in hope for Easter Sunday!
