Faith Acts

When love ceases to act,

it ceases to exist (St. Gregory the Great).

I'm not a big fan of Facebook, as I've discovered too late that when you befriend someone on Facebook, that means that you have to read all the minutae of their lives and thoughts.  However, once in awhile, a gem appears, and this morning, Lo!  St. Gregory the Great.  Now this is a thought worth spreading!  Thanks, Karen, for including Gregory on Facebook!

It seems to me that Gregory's thoughts about love would help put to rest the never-ending debate about faith and works.  Gregory might just as well have said, "When faith ceases to act, it ceases to exist."  Faith, like love, is always moving; when it grows stagnant, it ceases to exist.  We often wonder how we can increase our faith, but Jesus told us that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.  That is because faith moves, grows, acts; it does not stand still, even though it stands firm.

Faith is not based on any strength of our own, but on God's revelation of His strength and His promises.  On the cross, Jesus was more than helpless; He was utterly defeated and overcome---but His faith was in God's ability to save Him, even in and through death.  Though He felt abandoned, He still trusted in the Father's love.  He knew the psalm that said, "you will not abandon your beloved to the grave," and He believed that God would rescue and raise up His beloved.  He willingly surrendered Himself and His life to the Father's will and wisdom----that is faith.

Faith knows that God knows, and it is content in that knowledge.  A recent movie called The Tree of Life illustrates the surrender to a greater wisdom and knowledge, as a mother learns to come to peace with the death of her son.  And the death of her son is the open door to grace for the father and the whole family.

Fear turns back in the face of obstacles; faith moves forward, knowing that God will not abandon us to death, but will make all things work for the good of those who are called according to His plan and purpose (Romans 8:28).  When faith ceases to move, it ceases to exist.  Thanks, Gregory, for your insight about love (and faith).