FAITH: A DIALOGUE OF LOVE
GOD AND MAN IN RELATIONSHIP
OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)
Most Loving Father, you have revealed yourself through the prophets Abraham and Moses. You gave us the fullness of your Word in your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Your overwhelming love for us is clear. All you ask in return is our Faith and our Trust. Help us to Trust in you. Replace our disbelief with belief, in Jesus’ name we pray.
CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)
REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION
CCC 142-143 Man’s response to God
CCC 153-162 Characteristics of Faith
FAITH IS A GIFT FROM GOD, ANIMATED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO CREATES IN OUR HEARTS A DESIRE FOR GOD.
When we are young, God gives us the gift of Faith through our family, friends, and Church. When we become adults, Jesus asks us not to just talk about Him but to really get to know Him in a personal way in relationship.
Faith is a dialogue of love with God. In His revelation, God says, “I love you.” In Faith we say, “We gratefully accept your love and return it to you, Father.”
It is not so much about our love for God that is so very crucial in the beginning but an acknowledgement and an acceptance of God’s love for us. In Faith we say, “Yes, God loves me, through no merit of my own but because God is good.
In Faith, man completely submits his intellect and will to God. With his whole being, man gives his assent to God. That response is called the “obedience of faith.” This “obedience of faith” can most perfectly be seen in Blessed Virgin Mary’s reply to Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” Luke 1:38
In the letter to the Hebrews we find this definition of faith given by St. Paul, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD,
CONSUBSTANTIAL WITH THE FATHER
Belief in God cannot be separated from believing in the One He sent. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” And one cannot believe in Jesus Christ without believing in the Holy Spirit who is sent by Jesus Christ.
It is the Holy Spirit who animates our minds and hearts so that we may recognize Jesus for who He is. “For no one can say Jesus is Lord except the Holy Spirit and who He has revealed him.” I Corithians. 12:13
Faith is a priceless gift, a pearl of great price. We must pray never to lose it and ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance and protection against onslaughts and attacks by a faithless world. “By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made a shipwreck of their Faith.” I Tim.1:18-19
To love, grow, and persevere in our Faith, we must nourish it with the Word of God and practice it through works of charity. Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision. “Then we shall see God, face to face, as He is.” I Corinthians. 13:12 The Theological virtue of Faith is the beginning of eternal life.
CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)
Heavenly Father, you have in your wisdom given us your precious gift of Faith. May the inner secrets of your word be opened to us in our hearts. This. we beg of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)
- Has my approach to faith changed from childhood, through adolescence, into adulthood?
- Is my faith deeper now than when I was younger? How?
- How important are regular religious practices of devotions and prayer for my faith development? What might I do to improve my prayer life?
- Do I make faith the mover of my moral behavior? How?