P. Vojtěch Zieba
Lecture III.
1. In our next contemplation, we want to reflect on the reality of faith and its consequences for our lives. These consequences are very concrete and concern the entire human being, because – as Mother Teresa says – the fruit of faith is love. Why is this so?
2. As we have already discussed, faith binds a person to God, as it is knowing Him in the sense of a deep personal bond with Him. Faith is primarily about the relationship between persons – between God, who reveals Himself to us in His love, and the human being, who responds to God's revelation. It is not surprising that the complete and final fulfillment of God's revelation and the faith that responds to it results in love. When this love occurs, faith naturally becomes intimacy with God, which leads a person to voluntarily and fully confide in Him without reservation. True faith leads to a sonship bond with God, our Father, whom we daily invoke in the prayer of the Our Father.
3. Abraham is called the father of our faith in the Bible. His faith is evidenced by examples and trials. Abraham believed, and therefore he obeyed when he was called to go to the land that he would receive as his inheritance, and he set out on a journey even though he did not know where he was going. He believed, and therefore he lived in the promised land as a foreigner, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, for whom the same promise applied, and he hoped for the city with firm foundations, whose architect and creator is God Himself. Sarah also believed, and therefore she received from God the power to become a mother, even though she had already surpassed her time; she firmly believed in the one who had given her the promise. Thus from one man, and he was already old, came so many descendants as countless as the stars in heaven and as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. In faith, all these died, even though they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises, but only saw them from a distance and greeted them, acknowledging that they were only strangers and exiles on earth. They demonstrated that they were longing for a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Abraham believed, and therefore he went to sacrifice Isaac when he was tested. He was prepared to sacrifice his only son, although he had received the promise and was told, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." He considered that God is able to raise the dead. So in a manner of speaking, he did receive Isaac back as a type of the future resurrection [of Christ]” (Heb 11:8–19).
Jesus also calls us to trust God to the extent that we leave everything and follow Him. And He promises that those who confide in Him so much will not be disappointed: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). Those who do not trust will never experience this divine generosity. But whoever, captivated by God's love, confides in God, believes His promises, and steps forward as Abraham did when he heard God's call, will experience the fulfillment of God's promises, and his heart will be filled with love and gratitude. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The experience of faith fulfilled in God's love cannot, however, consist of "putting the Lord God to the test" and waiting for evident signs of God's truthfulness. We do not leave everything to receive a hundredfold reward. God is not a suitable partner for such a calculation. He does not care to engage in merchant calculations with us; He cares about our hearts opening to His voice, our complete devotion, our selfless trust in His love, which will not leave us without help. The reward is like a side issue here; it is not the point itself. It is even a certain surprise because it is not thought of by those who have surrendered to God and follow His call. In this experiencing of God's love, prayer plays a significant role in which God reveals Himself to man. By revealing Himself, God allows a person to know His greatness and beauty through faith, to recognize His great works, to know all that He has done for him when He created him and endowed him with every good – both material and spiritual, when He loves him despite his sins, and finally sent His Son to save us on the cross, dying for me and for you, for each of us personally and without exception. When a person contemplates God's greatness and love more deeply in prayer, he does not only deepen his faith. This knowledge greatly exceeds everything a person has experienced that the human heart must turn to Him and cling to Him.
4. When we bind ourselves to God in good times and bad, establishing a close relationship with Him, we begin to resemble Him. It is not difficult to understand this. We know it from everyday life: "Tell me who you hang out with, and I will tell you who you are." And because God is love, love also begins to permeate us. Jesus calls those who believe in Him to follow Him. For the truly believing, it simply becomes a necessity of the heart, to respond to such great love with love and to follow Him, who has so generously blessed us. Whoever knows God must be captivated by His love, His greatness, His goodness, and finally begins to love not for something but for Him alone. This captivating transitions from within to without – it is human nature that a person full of love, joy, enthusiasm, and happiness must share it with others. Otherwise, their love, joy, enthusiasm, and happiness are not complete, something is missing, they wither and diminish if they are not given to others. Whoever has experienced great love longs to share his happiness; he also longs to love. St. John says: “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7–8).
5. In order for a person to truly love, he must first grow into it. Jesus, when He began to teach, said: “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:15). Faith thus confirms the transformation of the heart and consciousness, which leads to a change of life, causing a turning away from sin, which is the denial of love, and turning to God, who is love itself. Faith must therefore be in constant development. No one achieves it once and for all, as if it were an unchangeable, permanent value, which nothing questions or threatens. Rather, the opposite is true. Faith must be continually reaffirmed. On one hand, it can disturb our intellect, raise new doubts and questions. On the other hand, it requires constant new moral decisions, specific attitudes, and actions in line with faith, requiring an ongoing process of conversion. Faith develops and strengthens to the extent that we can act according to our conscience. Conversely, it withers, dies, and becomes mere formality or even completely ceases to exist if we act against our conscience. Either a person lives in accordance with his faith or begins to believe as he lives. It is not difficult to imagine what corresponds to “participation in faith in God's plan.” It is about “love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:4–5).
6. Through faith, which also consists in fulfilling God's will, we become members of God's family, where God is our Father, and Jesus is our brother. Through faith, His Mother also becomes our mother, and this family includes other people, our brothers and sisters.
Faith does not depend on words but on deeds. To act in accordance with faith in Jesus means primarily to act in accordance with love for one's neighbor. Whoever does not act according to Jesus' commandment of love, even if he says he believes, “is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). Faith without works is dead (cf. James 2:26), faith without love is nothing (cf. 1 Cor 13:2). For in Christ, only faith that expresses itself through love is of significance (cf. Gal 5:6).
7. This faith reveals to us Christ's presence in another person, especially when he is in need. It is this faith that particularly inclines us to love. We believe that He loved us with such great love that He gave His life for us. What could be a response to such great love other than love? He even suffers today in the poorest. What will be the response of our faith? Will it be manifested in love? Mother Teresa says: “There is little faith because there is too much selfishness in the world, and a large part of the profit is used only for one's needs. Faith, however, in order to be true, must be connected with love that gives. Love and faith cannot be separated. People do not realize that they have lost faith. I believe that if people were convinced that a person lying in the mud is their brother or sister, they would do something for him. People do not know what compassion is. They know nothing about humanity. If they knew this, they would immediately understand the plight of the poor who are struggling on the streets and would turn to them with love. That love would surely cause them to begin serving those poor people.”
“In the Holy Scriptures, we read about how God cares for the world; we also read that God so loved the world that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, who became one of us to bring us the good news that God is love, that God loves you and me. God longs for us all to love each other as He loves each of us. When we look at the cross, we all realize that Jesus loved us very much. When we look at the Eucharist, we realize how much Jesus loves us even today. Therefore, He became the bread of life to satisfy our longing for His love and, as if that were not enough, He became hungry, naked, homeless, so that we – you and I – could satisfy His thirst for our human love. After all, this is why we were created. We were created to love and be loved.”
