13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction. (Then) While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
From these, you can tell that today’s gospel reading talks about faith. What is faith? Why is faith in God that important? How do we deepen and strengthen our faith in God? And how do we practice our faith? What is Faith? Hebrews 11: 1, tells us that Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Faith according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a personal act, that is, a free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals Himself. Faith is a personal adherence of the whole man to God who reveals himself. It involves an assent of the intellect and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds and words. Faith is a supernatural gift from God and a foretaste of the knowledge that will make us blessed in the life to come said St. Thomas Aquinas.
So now we know what faith means, how can we deepen and strengthen our faith in God? We can deepen and strengthen our faith in God, firstly by believing in Him. “Believing" is a human act, conscious and free, corresponding to the dignity of the human person. “Believing" is also an ecclesial act because the Church's faith precedes, engenders, supports and nourishes our faith. Since the Church is the mother of all believers, “No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother" said St. Cyprian. “To believe" has thus a twofold reference: to the person, and to the truth: to the truth, by trust in the person who bears witness to it. Hence, we must believe in no one but God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Secondly, Saint Pope Paul VI stated that we can deepen and strengthen our faith in God by accepting His word, written or handed down to us, which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed. Thirdly, we can deepen and strengthen our faith in God by living out the gospel of Christ which entails participating actively at Mass, praying daily, reading the Scriptures daily, and practicing charity always.
My brothers and sisters, having faith in God is of great importance to us Catholic Christians because without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11: 6). So it is time to truly, fully and sincerely believe in God because faith in Him, is necessary for salvation. This, our Lord himself affirmed saying: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16).
