THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

HOME

PAST
GOOD NEWS

June 8, 2008

The Good News...

...Don’t Take Faith For Granted

Each year, I visit 70 to 75 of our churches. Most of these visits are for Confirmation, school Masses or special occasions. I am very pleased that I can share in the active faith practice of so very many of you. You  are  to  be  commended  for  your participation and enthusiastic practice of our Catholic faith.

At the same time, I sometimes sense a certain apathy on the part of some people, especially younger members and young adults. Thus, my constant refrain is “Don’t take your Catholic faith for granted. Live the fullness of your faith!”

Faith is a gift from God. Most of us received it in seed fashion when we were baptized as infants.  Through the efforts of our parents, that seed of faith was nurtured and began to grow.  As our parents introduced us to God by teaching us how to pray, the gift of faith continued to develop. In preparation for our First Confession and First Holy Communion, our knowledge of God and the Church expanded.  Further growth continued through studies for Confirmation. While this all sounds good and it is good, the problem is that is only a beginning.  It is not adequate to carry us through the questions and doubts that lie ahead. How can we respond to challenges and threats if we don’t know the truth? What do we do when peer pressure, secular claims, societal ills and contradictory opinions engulf us? Where will we turn when we are uncertain?

Our Catholic faith is indeed a gift from God. But God never forces His gifts upon us. God calls us. He invites us. He offers us His gifts. Then it is up to us.  How do we respond?

In the instance of the gift of faith given us at baptism, growth in the faith is a life-long project. Faith is the gift that leads us safely on the pilgrimage of life on this earth to the happy fulfillment of life in heaven.  Thus it is a life-long effort that must be made to bring that faith to fulfillment. This means prayer, study and sacrifice.

Prayer is communication with God. It is a way to give praise and thanks to God. Through prayer we discover the plan of God and obtain the help needed to accept and follow God’s plan. Prayer unites us to God in a personal loving way.

Study is the effort we make to learn. It is enhanced by reading and listening but always requires thought and response. When we study about the Catholic faith, we learn about God and His Revelation. We discover the reality of who we are and why we are here on this earth. We learn how we should live on this earth in order to arrive and live with God forever in heaven.

The two great tools for studying about faith are the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  The failure to read, study and discuss the contents of these two books results in an inadequate knowledge and formation in faith.

Faith is a great gift from God. It will grow and develop into a vibrant relationship with God if we cultivate it through prayer and study. Faith will wither, become weak and even die if we simply take it for granted. What a tragedy. What a loss. No wonder Jesus challenges us with that fundamental question:  “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and to suffer the loss of his immortal soul?”