Heb 11: 1-7
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.”
For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Sustained by Faith
“We don’t know what we would have done without our faith,” my parents would say when one of their adult children or grandchildren no longer participated in Mass or the sacraments. With faith in the God who creates all, sustains all, embraces all, as parents they weathered the down times, the sorrows, the challenges, the difficulties, the scarcity, and uncertainties in life. Today’s passage from Hebrews observes that faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we believe something greater than ourselves exists and has brought us and all that is around us into existence, we no longer are simply self-sufficient but part of an immensity, grandeur, and eternity that lifts and supports us. Ask God for faith if you do not have it.
—Fr. Chris Manahan, SJ, is the Midwest Province provincial assistant for senior Jesuits and pre-tertians and former director of Jesuit Retreat House on Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He is on the board of Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House.
Prayer
O my God, deepen my faith when troubles, disappointments, and fears I face are ominous. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give me strength, passion, and guidance when I hesitate to trust that you are with me. My peace comes when I rest in you. Amen.
—Fr. Chris Manahan, SJ