Faith is Hard
22 Jan 2006
Faith is hard. No matter how much we try to profess that we have an abundance of this quality,—which really belongs to the realm of the metaphysical,—this is really a grace of God. Of all the things we ask for in prayer, this one thing, that is faith, is what we should ask for first. For as we have faith, then all other good things materialize in the earthly realm; moreover, neither death, nor trials, nor tribulations, nor any other negative experience which impinges on our existence can have any effect on us other than that of simple manifestation. Though we become aware of such negative experience, though we may well feel and sense it, yet it does nothing to alter or change our relationship with God; neither does it move us farther away from our one precious resource.
Faith is made strong through trials. For untested faith, does little for our spiritual development, and how could it? After all, the virtuoso violinist produces his flawless musical pieces only after much practice and much diligence. Similarly, faith must be implemented regularly, practiced often, and even rehearsed repeatedly. Through such work, our faith becomes like the hardened, resistant, multilayered shell of the sea conch, which has built up its fortified abode only after years of layering mineral deposits within and about.
Yet trials are not what the human being relishes. Trials are not something I have enjoyed, nor something that I anticipate with alacrity. After all, I am human and so are you. In this, we must understand that therein lies one of the mysteries of God. Only He knows the purpose of our trials. Only He fully understands the reason of our suffering. And here is where the grace of faith comes in, as it is only through faith that we can bear patiently our trials. For without this grace, trials and tribulations, mishaps and misfortunes, are only things that reside in the earthly sphere of luck, chance, or coincidence, and not things which lie within the realm of the Almighty, and which constitute necessary ingredients to our spiritual well-being. Though we be assaulted by those of the world who believe they know better in that mishaps and trials are purely coincidental, we must hold tenaciously to our faith as it is this grace—and this grace only—that will bear us through the dark tunnels of life.
Therefore, let us pray not for our temporal welfare nor our protection from harm, but for faith, which once established and fortified within our beings, will be able to catapult us into the realm of God and produce all the good fruit of His providential wisdom.
Joe Pagano