Faith that speaks and acts!

WORD 2day: Saturday, 28th Week in Ordinary time

October 21, 2023: Romans 4:13,16-18; Luke 12: 8-12

Jesus assures us, true faith speaks for itself. We need not hunt for ways and means of explaining and defending our faith; it is mostly self evident and self explanatory. We don't need mighty big formulae to hold on to a faith... all we need is the realisation of the constant and unceasing presence of the Lord with us and within us.

When I am convinced of this presence I can hope against hope as Abraham did. Such a faith speaks on my behalf, clarifies things for me and others, and acts in my favour in the ultimate analysis. Internally it strengthens me and outwardly it makes me a role model. It cannot be otherwise - that I put up an appearance of being a role model, while there is still aspects to be strengthened within me. 

There is a beautiful insight, that hope none of us miss, in the Word today, the readings taken together. While Paul speaks of God as one who raises the dead to life and calls to life those which do not as yet exist, Jesus speaks of that one sin that cannot be forgiven, the sin against the Holy Spirit. They both are referring to the same, while the former cites a positive explanation, the latter provides a note of clarification. That is where the insight lies:

The sin against the Holy Spirit is the lack of hope, which is a concrete expression of lack of faith leading to a life that ultimately lacks true love! Let nothing perturb you, if you are really a person of faith!

Let our lives be filled with a faith that speaks and acts!