Faith and Love--July 2, 2006
by Fr. Gus Carter

The Gospel of Mark has a peculiarity not found in other Gospels. Mark sandwiches one story within another. He begins the story of Jails' daughter. In the middle of that story he tells about the woman with the hemorrhage. Then he finishes the story of the young girl. Two stories in Mark's Gospel, just previous to today's, showed Jesus' power against demons and storm winds. Today we turn more directly to Jesus' power on behalf of individuals. The emphasis in both cures today is that Jesus' power helps persons. The miracles are linked to the faith of the persons involved.

We understand that God has given us freedom so that we can love God. Certainly, the Lord could have fashioned a world that ran like clockwork, but without freedom there would be no room for love. God limited his own power so that we might be given the power to choose freely.

In her fear the afflicted woman did not want to face Jesus. On the other hand, He did not want her cure to be impersonal. He called her forth to remind her that our faith relationship with God is personal. She comes to realize more deeply how much God loves her. With that kind of faith made clear, she is told to go in peace. The synagogue ruler asked for a cure for his daughter. He encountered ridicule and discouragement from the crowd when it was reported that she was already dead. He still trusted Jesus. He entered the room of the supposed dead girl and continued to believe in Jesus. He was rewarded for his trust.

Faith, as most of us realize, is not so much belief in particular doctrines. Rather, it means trusting in what God tells us through Jesus. The attitude Jesus calls us to is one of unshakable belief that God loves us. We show our belief in this love by cooperating with God's grace. God will not violate our freedom by forcing on us situation with which we do no want to cooperate. The miracles of Jesus were expressions of God's love for us. They demonstrate that God has the power and the will to help us overcome our moral failings.

Our biggest failing is that we want to run our lives as we see fit, not the way Jesus points out to us. We know that we are constantly tempted by our consumer society. We can easily become preoccupied with our desires to possess. On the list of important things to do, many of us place relationship with God far below many other things. Our desire to control our destiny in our own way, makes us obstruct the good of others. We fail to cooperate for the good of our community. Our personal comfort and entertainment make us neglect the things of God that will make us Christ-like.

I read recently that prayer is the way we express ultimate meaning in our lives. What do we pray for? Do we really want a love relationship with the Lord? We know that to have friends, we must spend time with others. How much of our prayer experience expresses our desire to just be present with our God. Do we ask unceasingly for the grace to know our God better through Jesus? Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life." How much time so we spend with Jesus? How do we express our desire to be Christ-like? How often do we notice ways in which God expresses love for us? Do we appreciate all the ways that our Creator sustains us? Are we grateful especially for the ways others show us the love of God by the way they treat us? How much love for others do we express as a way of showing our love for God and opening ourselves to God's love? Do I really see love as expressing the ultimate meaning of life.

Do we ever think of Jesus as the friend who helps us to do God's will? Our Lord desires us to be the marvelous persons we are. Jesus is the wisdom and power of God who leads us to a glorious salvation. He called himself our servant. He said, "I came not to be served but to serve." The loving God so desires spiritual greatness for us. He sent his only Son to be our mentor and guide. We are always in danger of letting trivial, passing things interfere with interior greatness. We need to let Jesus, our friend and servant, help us be abiding forces for good in the world.