THE PROPER RESPONSE TO FAITH
The response of faith is much more important than a cure or a healing. Our eternal future, not just our time on earth, depends on the proper response of faith.
St. Paul was very disturbed by the fact that factions had developed among the Christians at Corinth. One reason for the division was attachment to the human ministers of the Gospel. Some converts pledged allegiance to Paul and others to Apollos. A similar situation today would be that in which a Catholic would say, "I like and follow the teachings of Pope Paul VI, but not Pope Francis." Such comparisons are not only divisive but irrelevant. Human ministers are but instruments of Christ and their authority and effectiveness are due to His Holy Spirit working within them.
Apollos was a better speaker than Paul and his preaching seemed to carry more weight. So it was that Paul scolded the Corinthians for judging by human standards rather than by God's as revealed in the Cross of Christ Jesus. The words of Paul can challenge and encourage us today because, like the Corinthians, we too have been baptized, celebrate the Eucharist and strive for spiritual gifts. St. Paul made use of this prickly situation to teach the important lesson that the way to deepen our Christian life is to claim Jesus as the Source of our life. We know that our spiritual life is not dependent on the people from whom we have received the Gospel but on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
We must constantly remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is the center of our faith. He is such because of who He is, not because His ministers happen to satisfy our taste. The demons driven out by Jesus had more insight than many people today. They declared to Jesus, "You are the Son of God." The identity of Jesus is the crucial question of the Gospel and of our faith.
Think of it this way: Jesus cured Peter's mother-in-law of a severe fever, but there were more people similarly ill in Palestine whom He did not cure. Jesus laid His hands on those with various diseases and healed them, but there were many more sick people throughout the world with whom He never came in contact. Jesus worked His miracles out of a motive of compassion, but He was even more concerned with drawing people to Himself in faith. The response of faith is much more important than a cure or a healing. Our eternal future, not just our time on earth, depends on the proper response of faith.
I want to share a story with you:
A little girl really seemed to believe in the power of prayer. Her parents frequently were amazed at the boldness with which their daughter prayed, and in her unswerving confidence that God had not only heard her prayers, but was in the process of answering them in the way she desired. One day her older brother made a little trap to catch sparrows, and the girl found this very offensive. She felt sorry for the birds that might be caught and was angry and upset that her brother would do such a thing. When he failed to respond to her arguments and pleas, she informed him and her entire family, "I'm going to pray about this."
Three nights later her face seemed almost radiant as she said her bedtime prayers, voicing with absolute faith her belief that the traps would be futile and that no birds would be harmed. After she had finished her prayer her mother asked, "Child, how can you be so positive about this?" The little girl smiled and said, "Because I went out three days ago and kicked the trap to pieces."
While it may be unwise to take every matter into our own hands, we are always wise to begin by putting all matters into God's Hands!