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Faith is a gift from God. However faith is a response on the part of man to God’s revelation and offer of salvation. A person can grow in faith. One can and ought to move from an imperfect faith to a more perfect faith. Like the father of the boy who had the dumb spirit, everyone can implore God saying, “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mk 9:24). Faith is not something abstract. It has practical implications. It has its bearings on one’s day to day life. Faith and good works are closely and intimately related, or rather, the measure of faith of a person is seen in the way in which that person engages in transformative action in the world. It is faith that enables a person to implant oneself in the lives of others in a way that is meaningful and relevant. One needs to turn to God in prayer in order to be able to respond in faith to the demands of a Christian calling. A person who is living by faith will seek to share it with others through an enthusiastic proclamation.
A faith that has not matured into acceptance of baptism is a sterile faith. When we think and reflect on faith often it can happen that we tend to equate it with some sort of expectation of things getting better in the future, like improvement in the weather, financial status or broken relationships. Christian faith is based on the strong conviction that our lives are safe and secure in God’s hands and that no matter whatever experiences we may go through and however traumatic those may be, God works everything for good with those who love Him (Rom 8:28). The true test of vibrant faith is not when everything is going well with us but when the world around us collapses and we touch the rock bottom, and yet are able to bounce back, get on to our feet and go on with our lives. It is possible only when we foster our personal relationship with god. It means that Jesus Christ is a living personal presence in our lives, a friend to trusted, someone we can count on and turn to at any time and at any place. We need to believe that Jesus is not only our friend, but also our travelling companion through life, that He is there beside us always. It is to seek the active, personal hand of God in everything we do. At times we may wonder if God really cares for us. But the truth is that He is more close to us when we think He is not even present to us. We are all beginners in walking by faith. We need to be patient and gentle with ourselves along the way.
To acquire faith, we have to cry out to God from the depths of our heart to give us faith. That is what the disciples did. If we ask for gold and riches, we may not get it. But if we pray for faith, for the grace to think positively, for the power to face difficulties and obstacles, He will mercifully grant it. We have to ask. God has promised that if you ask it will be given. Acquiring faith, exercising it and getting empowered is an art. Art requires exercise, repetition and training. A dancer practices dance and becomes skilled in it when his bodily movements turn out to be expressions of those rhythms. Unfortunately we don’t give such training in faith or spirituality. To make it clear, we need more effort beyond religious performances and ceremonies to get God experiences. Our spirituality gets integrated into life only when we practice discipline, concentration, and it comes with experiences. A person with such integration is always happy.
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