Holy Prophet Haggai (6th c. BC).
Nativity Fast
Hebrews 11:17-23, 27-31. Mark 9:42-10:1.
Read Hebrews 11:17-23, 27-31
By faith, we read today, so many of the great figures of the Old Testament did so many wonderful things. They blessed, gave wisdom, acted bravely, passed through the sea, and tore down walls. By faith they lived their lives, faced great challenges, and in faith they died hoping in the Lord’s goodness and blessing.
By faith so many of our ancestors departed their homeland in trying circumstances. So many of us, our parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents, left Ukraine in time of war, economic hardship, under the threat of Soviet occupation, or during brutal dictatorship. They got up, not knowing much outside their village, nevermind other countries, and left, trusting that the Lord would see them to a place of safety and peace.
By faith we are called to live our lives as did the great men and women we read of in the scriptures and as did our ancestors. But what is this faith? What does it look like?
I think it’s useful to start by discussing what faith is not.
Faith is not a blind, uncrticical adherance to what someone told us. That’s the kind of belief appropriate for a child, but not a mature adult faith.
Faith is not a whiteknuckled and forced hanging on to a belief in the face of challenges and strong evidence to the contrary. That’s intellectually dishonest and will ultimately collapse—or you will go crazy.
Faith is not some airy-fairy nice talk about the things of heaven. That has no power to change anyone’s life.
Faith is far deeper, far more powerful than any of these things. It is the sober, profound, and quiet trust and confidence in the Lord and His promises. It is the thing in one’s heart that provides a foundation of stability and peace even in the face of life’s greatest ordeals.
How do we get a strong, mature, adult faith?
It starts with Christ revealing Himself to us. After He reveals Himself, He will continue to draw near to our hearts, but it is upon us to cultivate that relationship by our prayer and sacramental life. In that way, we draw near to Christ. Christ comes to us, and we go to Him. That is how our faith grows.
Wherever you are on this journey, ask the Lord in prayer to draw closer, express your desire to move closer to Him, and pray for a deeper, more lasting and profound faith.