"All depends on faith, everything is grace" (Rm 4:16). Therefore, Easter depends on faith. Our resurrection from the dead depends on faith. Eternal life depends on faith. Thus, we need a strong, ever-growing faith in the person of Jesus. We believe, but we keep asking God to help our lack of faith (Mk 9:24).
In today's Gospel reading, John may be making a distinction between believing and being a believer. He writes that the royal official believed Jesus' promise that his son would be healed and live (Jn 4:50). Yet, after hearing of his son's healing the next day, this believing official became a believer (Jn 4:53). How could he have become a believer when he already believed unless believing and being a believer are not the same thing?
Everyone believes in certain aspects of Christianity. Even most atheists believe in the humanitarian work of Christianity. Most people believe in many Christian doctrines. They may even believe in the power of prayer. Yet all this believing does not make these people "believers." Believers don't just believe. They "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). They no longer live their own life but "a life of faith in the Son of God" (Gal 2:20). For believers, faith is not an occasional experience but a way of life. Don't just believe. Be a believer.
| PRAYER: | Father, this Lent give me confident assurance about invisible things (see Heb 11:1). |
| PROMISE: | "Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth." –Is 65:17 |
| PRAISE: | When falsely convicted, Angela learned her need to forgive was greater than even her desire for "justice." |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College