My faith in the divinity of Christ and in all the magnificent truths that flow from this fundamental one, is not a treasure to be kept carefully locked up in a safe, like a diamond necklace to be worn only on special occasions. St. Paul writes that the just man "lives by faith." This supernatural belief is such a tremendous conviction that it affects profoundly my whole attitude towards life in all its aspects. It gives my mind an orientation in a Godward direction that shows me the supernatural through the natural.
Our Lord said that faith would move mountains, and that if we had faith and staggered not, we would order the mountain to move and it would obey! Faith that approaches to this degree of intensity sheds the rays of its light into every nook and corner of my daily life. To begin with, my very presence here in this place of prayer is already a great act of faith. I am here on my knees trying to speak to a God Whom I do not see, because He tells me He sees me and loves me and listens to me. I persevere when my prayer seems an uninteresting monologuewhat is that but to practice a living faith in His word?
I go to Mass and Holy Communion. One man goes and is bored and distracted and glances restlessly at his wrist watch. Another kneels before the altar and seems to be rooted to the spot; his reverence and preoccupation with what is happening there show you at once he is conscious of its importance. Both advance to receive Holy Communion. One is very casual and indifferent; the other is overwhelmed with his realization of the meaning of his act. What makes the difference? They both believe in the Mass and Holy Communion, but in the first case faith is a dry, cold, intellectual assent merely; in the second case it is quivering with intense life.
"My just man liveth by faith." Two men listen to a sermon. One is indignant that the sermon lasts three minutes longer than usual. He pays little attention. He complains on his way home that the priest is useless as a speaker, that he spoke too strongly against some abuse. He is the type of man who wants to hear only a doctrine that he likes, that makes no demands on his selflove, that glosses over his vices in silence and leaves him comfortable in his sin. He forgets that the Baptist preached and his preaching was not pleasant to the ear; that Our Lord Himself never hesitated to call sin by its right name. Why does this man react in this wayindifferent in his Mass and Holy Communion, and censorious of the preacher and his sermon? Simply because he does not "live" by faith.
In my social life, in my business dealings, the spirit of faith sheds a revealing ray of light. In every single person who crosses my path I recognize one who takes the place of Christ. In those who work with me in store or factory, in those who Come with me on a picnic, with whom I play tennis or football I detect in all, with the eye of faith, people who stand for me in the place of Christ. I am ever mindful of the word of Our Lord that what I do to these He certainly will take as done to Himself. Hence the thoughtfulness, the spirit of readiness to brush aside an insult; the quiet, unobtrusive readiness to do any favor in my power. I live under the ray of an immense arclight and it penetrates everywhere.
The spirit of faith might be compared to the lamps which light up the city at night. A man devoid of this spirit stumbles in darkness or semidarkness; a man who lives by faith walks boldly on his way, for his path is illuminated by the masterful sun. If the Incarnation is true, it is the most astonishing thing that ever happened; and it should be the reaction of every Catholic who believes it to let its influence transform his whole life radically. The fact of Christ and the truth of His claims must dominate everything, everywhere. If He be Who He said He was, He must be the lodestar of my life, the meridian line of the world; and everything is right or wrong, worthy of a man or degrading to his manhood, according as it falls right or left of that line. A Catholic must not merely possess the Catholic Faith; it must possess him, influencing his every decision, energizing his every activity, inspiring his every ideal. "My just man liveth by faith."
Jesus, give me such a living faith. If Your standards are right, they must be applied everywhere not merely be delivered in church and listened to with an aloof respect. They must be carried by me right into the midst of my place of work or play. Mary, "blessed art thou because thou hast believed." I would believe, too, with a strong living faith like yours.