How do you understand the dynamic of faith at work in your life? How can you become more expressive in living your faith in God? - Daily Reflections October 17,2015

Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch,

Bishop and Martyr

GOD’S PROMISES TO ABRAHAM

 

God makes three promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. He promises that Abraham will have many descendants, he will be given land, and that through him many nations will be blessed. Upon what do these promises rest? Paul insists that they rest upon the grace of God at work in Abraham’s life — that is, they will be fulfilled through the faith of Abraham and his descendants and not through their works.

       This is an extremely crucial point because if we can earn God’s grace and blessings, then the work of salvation, for which Jesus was sent by the Father to accomplish it, is not necessary. This is anathema to Paul and to all who understand the nature of the Gospel. It is only God who can save; we simply need to have faith in Him and allow our faith to be expressed in and through our lives.

       Paul knows what it means to try and earn his way to heaven through good deeds. He has tried that for all his life until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. It is his encounter with Jesus that radically transforms his view and causes him to take an entirely new direction with his faith — a direction that will cause him to leave Judaism and embrace the fledgling faith of Christianity as one of its most influential preachers and teachers.

     As we live our faith, let us remember that there is nothing to be ashamed of in relying on the grace of God for our salvation. In fact, it is a great protection as we now know that we do not have to earn it, but just to be faithful to it once we choose to accept it. Faith is born of love — first, God’s great love for us and then our love for Him in return. The good works we are called to witness in our lives are merely the fruit of both faith and love lived in hope of our salvation. This provides the basis for our works of charity. This is not a circular argument — it is the economy of salvation, which is so designed that the power rests in God and not in us, for both our own good and our own protection. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How do you understand the dynamic of faith at work in your life? How can you become more expressive in living your faith in God?

 

Jesus, thank You for the gift of salvation You have given me. I pray that I will always surrender my life to Your grace and live according to the economy of Your love at work in my life.