FAITH LEADS US TO THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION! ~ CookingFood.Org

“RISEN WITH CHRIST”

Easter Reflections

Saturday, 22^ndApril 2017,

Easter Octave

Acts 4:13-21

Ps 118:14-21

Mk 16:9-15

FAITH LEADS US TO THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION!

Lack of faith makes one miss many truths in life. Faith in the goodness of our fellow beings helps us to become better human beings. Faith in the beauty of life helps us to make the world a beautiful place to live. Faith in ourselves as unique human beings help us to let go of the cloud of the unknowing. Faith in our mission helps us to be faithful to our vocation. Faith in the love of God helps us to change ourselves from being Victims of the past to "winners of the present". Faith in the risen Lord enables us to proclaim the good news of his Resurrection. More than ever, today's world requires people of faith.

Why did the Apostles fail to believe Jesus had risen from the dead? They had seen so many amazing miracles first hand from Jesus. They heard Him preach and teach with perfect authority and grace. And now, after He rose from the dead, their hearts were hardened and they did not immediately believe. Jesus had to appear to them and offer this proof to their own eyes. They wanted to believe, but they couldn’t let themselves freely embrace the Resurrection with true faith until they had some proof. Little did they know that all the proof they needed was already within them.

So often we are invited by Jesus to have faith and believe in Him and to accept many things as a matter of faith. The gift of faith is like a small flame within our hearts that we carelessly expose to the winds. This carelessness allows the flame of faith to be extinguished before it can grow. The goal of our Christian walk is to let that flame of faith become the blazing fire that God wants. It’s entirely possible to let that flame become so all-consuming that nothing can put it out. The path to this blazing fire of faith within has to do with the way we handle that spark which is already there. We have to care for and nurture that small flame. We must guard it and feed it so that it grows. This is done, in part, by avoiding carelessness in our life of prayer.

Prayer is the key to letting God grow within. He is there, speaking to us and calling us to believe. Every time we intensely focus upon that flame, we enable it to grow and take hold. And if the Apostles would have just let that gift of faith, planted deep within, grow by a softening of their hearts, they would have quickly and easily believed that Jesus was alive without having a need to see Him with their own eyes. What are you doing in your own faith life to let this flame become a blazing and all-consuming fire? Recommit yourself this day to prayer, and watch your faith in Christ grow brightly!

Prayer: Lord, I love You and I believe in You. Help me to fan the flame of faith planted in my heart into a blazing and all-consuming fire. Purify my soul by this fire and free me from any hardness of heart. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.