The apostles didn't have faith in the risen Christ even after hearing about His Resurrection from Mary Magdalene and the two disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Mk 16:11, 13). Then the risen Jesus Himself rebuked the apostles for their lack of faith (Mk 16:14). This shows that faith is so high a priority for God that He Himself deals with our lack of faith.
Today it is fashionable to blame evil on almost everything but lack of faith. We blame our culture of death on Planned Parenthood, the government, bad teaching in the Church, parents, the economy, etc. While this is true, we could move all the mountain ranges of our culture of death if we had but faith the size of a tiny mustard seed (Mt 17:20). We hear of the "vocation crisis." Yet this "crisis" is not the cause but the effect, not the crisis but the symptom of the crisis. The crisis is the lack of faith. The Church prays to the Lord at Mass to not look "on our sins but on the faith of the Church." Let us, like Jesus, focus on our faith.
On this Easter Saturday, liturgically one of the most important days of the year, God the Father through the risen Son is sending the Holy Spirit to you to increase, deepen, and strengthen your faith. He will give you the gift of faith (1 Cor 12:9) and produce in you the fruit of the Spirit called faith (Gal 5:22). May you receive the Easter gift of greater and ever-increasing faith.
| PRAYER: | Father, may I thank You at least daily for the gift of faith. |
| PROMISE: | "Observing the self-assurance of Peter and John, and realizing that the speakers were uneducated men of no standing, the questioners were amazed. Then they recognized these men as having been with Jesus." —Acts 4:13 |
| PRAISE: | Praise You, risen Jesus! You send Your Spirit upon us and fill us with Your joy and power! |
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