Our Creed (Faith) Entails our Deeds
Our Creed (Faith) Entails our Deed
Our
Christian faith is a gift of God that strengthens us in Christ individually and
collectively. The same faith leads one to cherish personally and share this
gratuitous gift with the others in the community. For this common cause the Catholic
Church disposes the Liturgy in which the faith is celebrated and shared individually
and collectively. As a result, faith becomes a profound belief in the Risen
Christ whom we encounter in the event of the Eucharist, as person of Christ
himself who humbled down to the simple form of Bread and Wine that we share in
communion. Thus, faith is both a personal act that needs to be lived and
communicated to the world at large. This is very tangible in the words of St
Paul (2 Tim 1: 12) “I know Him in whom I have believed.”
There
was a story of a peasant which heard in my early childhood, which I feel wroth
sharing with you now. He was a poor peasant lived in a small village. But it
was interesting that he was noted for his daily labour and at the same time his
trust in God in his own humble manner. So, everyday on his way to the farm land
he would stop at the entrance of the gates of the Church and make the sign of
the cross and then would go to his work. And again on his return to home he
would stop at the gate of the Church and thank God for the day’s labour and would
make the sign of the cross and go to his house. This had been his regular practice
of day irrespective of sun, shower or wind. Thus he was faithful to his work
and worship.
Well,
now what I would like to drive home from this small anecdote is very simple. It
is just like the letter of St James which tells the Jewish Christians that if
it is the real Faith, it will lead to the faithful living. Therefore, for me
FAITH is that ties up both my creed and my deed, like the farmer who believed
the hand of God in his work and in his work the hand of God. This implies to
all of us that we have to give our best in all that we take up and leave the
rest to God, just like the farmer, the sowing of the seed was his
responsibility, the watering of the seed too was his responsibility but the
little green sapling arising from the seed is God’s responsibility. Therefore,
Faith teaches us that, once we have done our best, then God will surely do the
rest. In this manner faith is simply letting our work in God and letting God in
our work just like that of a poor peasant whose work and faith was tied up
together.
St
James in his letter (Jas 2: 14-18) says that, Faith is the precious gift of God
that nourishes us to savor the love of God at all circumstances irrespective of
trails tribulations and triumphs. Because faith without charity bears no fruit,
therefore faith and charity each require the other to bear witness Christ like
the apostles who fearlessly radiated the word of God across the world. In this
regard for us Christians, Jesus is the perfect model of faith because, He was
faithful to the Father from the very time he was conceived till the time He was
crucified and as a result he was resurrected from the dead as a perfect model
for us to look up to him in faith.
Don
Bosco for example was indeed an icon for us to imitate him in his faithful
living of his/our Master Jesus in a unique way. We see Don Bosco as a powerful
communicator of faith in Jesus to the young people. It was very tangible when
he used to insist upon the holy sacraments, especially of the Eucharist and the
sacrament of reconciliation that which bind them all in the perfect faith in
Christ. Therefore, this year of faith is an opportunity for me and for all of
us to turn towards Jesus Christ, and encounter him in the Sacraments,
especially the Eucharist and thus we shall rediscover the Faith that we live in
Christ.
We
see the world today in deep turmoil and unstable due to the communal violence
and many other social and ethical issues which hamper the peace and cause blood
shed at the cost of many innocent lives. At this crucial time the apostolic
letter of the Holy Father Porta Fidei insists
that world is drastically in need of the people of faith and credible witnesses
who are enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord to pray and
foster the peace and security of all in grace and mercy of God. Thus may our
faith in Christ lead us and guide us to foster harmony and equality of all
through our faith entailed by faith.
Dear
friends in Christ you can catch up with the Holy See’s dedicated web site for
the Year of Faith, which provides ample information over the topic:
May
the peace of the Risen Lord reign over our lives…Amen…
Naresh
Neelam
Thank
You
faith is a gift ...true...but i feel it needs to be integrated.....
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