Dear Friends in Christ,
In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 17:5-10), Jesus tells His disciples “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you.” Jesus tells them this after they ask Him to “increase” their faith. Jesus’ response indicates that they do not need more faith, only a little true faith. Jesus compares such faith to a “mustard seed.”
But, what is the kind of faith that Jesus is describing? The Church teaches us that faith is one of theological virtues, which, along with hope and love, are infused into the soul by God. The Catechism of The Catholic Church notes that faith also involves “ a human act” through which a believer adheres to God. This means that although faith is God’s gift to us, we have to use our free will to accept it and embrace it. The gospel teaches us that faith is a power through which God works in the world. According to Jesus’ example, faith can do incredible things. Faith leads us to believe in miracles and provides us with hope in all situations. Scripture teaches us that faith leads to eternal life.
As a priest, I have had many conversations with people about faith. In particular, people have asked me why others they know do not have faith. Often, they speak of how much they tried to raise children in an environment that would encourage them to have faith but, yet, this did not happen. These conversations have led me to reflect a lot on the nature of faith. We cannot “make” someone have faith. We can only create conditions favorable for faith’s reception. Faith is accepted and grows in our hearts when we want it. When we don’t, God does not force us to have faith.
On this Respect Life Sunday, let us allow our gift of faith to empower us to bear witness to the sacredness of all life from conception until natural death. It is with faith that we can more greatly appreciate the value of life and recognize the importance of protecting life. Let us pray that the right to life remains protected by law in our land.