Faith Has to Be Nurtured to Endure — A Reflection By Ralph Iskaros

Tamagotchi is a handheld toy introduced in the late 1990s that became one of the best-selling toys in history. The toy’s concept is to raise a digital “pet” through life stages from hatching to maturity by pressing buttons to feed, clean, play, and discipline the pet. If the player’s attention and level of care drops, the pet becomes unhappy, ill-behaved, unhealthy, and ultimately dies.

St. Paul writes: “We walk by faith, not by sight” in our Second Reading for today. The faith he speaks of is not blind faith. Read his words in his letter to the Romans, which perfectly describes faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is a gift from God that turns our hope of things we desire to happen into trust that they will happen. “By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.” (Hebrews 11:7). Noah’s faith made him endure years of isolation for building a giant ark, even as people mocked him for toiling on it. Of course, there are many other examples of faithful individuals in the Old and New Testaments, as well as others whose faith and devotion to God we admire. But like a Tamagotchi, faith has to be nurtured to endure.

The faithful can gradually and unintentionally fall into bad habits. They go to mass but do not actively participate in worship and singing. They hear the word of God but do not share the Good News of Jesus with the world. They systematically recite prayers without self- examination or reflection. They know and obey God’s commandments but stop short of loving everyone and doing good. It is not easy to always be faithful when we fall into the routine, and when tempted by worldly things. We become prideful, self-centered, and envious, and our hearts may harbor wrath. Be on guard not to fall into these bad habits, and be attentive to nurturing your faith with prayer and the Sacraments. Jesus often spoke in parables to illustrate truths and realities. Perhaps He used parables because stories and images stay with us, and we remember them much more than we remember instructions. Today’s First Reading shows us that God also used similar imagery when He spoke of majestic cedars, small birds, and lofty mountains. With a tiny mustard seed that springs up and becomes the largest of plants, Jesus illustrated the Kingdom of God, which we live in now, a Kingdom where God is the King and we are His subjects. As His subjects, we are called to worship, obey, and do the will of our sovereign King even when it conflicts with our personal and selfish interests.

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” (Saint Augustine).

Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.

Copyright © 2023 LoveAndServe.Online. Used with permission.