9781644135945

The Light of the World
In baptism the faith has been planted in our soul. We daily strengthen it by praying and by
making acts of faith. The deeper this faith in Jesus becomes, the safer and more solid and fruitful
will be our spiritual life. Our spiritual life and sanctity derive their strength and growth from the
living faith in the Son of God given to us by the Father. Whether Jesus shows Himself to us as a
helpless child in the manger, as a working man in His father’s shop, or as a teacher continually
exposed to the contradiction of His enemies, He is always Christ, God and man. Whether we
see Him in disgrace and humiliation in His passion and death on the cross, whether we believe
in Him, hidden and forgotten in the tabernacle, He remains always the same, the Son of the
eternal Father, equal in substance with the Father, equal in majesty, power, and wisdom. If we
have this vivid faith in Him, it must of necessity constrain us to make acts of adoration and urge
us to devote ourselves to the will of Him who, though human, nevertheless remains forever
God, the Son of the eternal Father.
True faith in Jesus, the Son of God, will necessarily be perfected in love, urging us to take
upon ourselves the sacrifices Jesus asks of us, to remain unshaken in times of temptation, and
to be strong in all the trials and sufferings of life. “In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; I said, Thou
art my God; my times are in Thy hands” (Offertory).
Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, grant unto us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we
may obtain what Thou dost promise, make us love that which Thou dost command. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saturday
It is now harvest time; God has blessed the farmer’s work. The seeds planted in the soil in spring
have sprung up; they grew slowly at first, but then after some months they became a waving
field of grain. At the sight of these growing and ripening fields the liturgy reminds us of the
necessity of our interior growth in faith, hope, and charity: “Grant unto us an increase of faith,
hope, and charity” (Collect).
“Grant unto us an increase of faith, hope, and charity.” The nine men of the Gospel who have
been healed of leprosy accept the cure the Lord has given them; but they are absorbed by the
thought of their cure; of being able to return to their families and to work again. They are a picture
of the many Christians who accept our Lord’s gifts and benefits: life, health, and the powers of
body and soul; yet do not regard the giver of these gifts. Eternal and supernatural things are of
no interest to them. They dedicate their life only to worldly and natural interests, concentrating
their efforts on one goal alone: how they may progress in their worldly undertakings. Often
this attitude is true not only in individuals, but even in whole communities. To this one-sided
natural point of view, the Church opposes the striving after spiritual and supernatural values,
“the increase of faith, hope, and charity.” She wishes us to strive first after supernatural life, the
life of grace. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added
unto you” (Lk 12:31). “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss
of his soul?” (Mk 8:36.) What matters first of all is God and a life for God, built on the virtues
of faith, hope, and charity; we must seek first the supernatural life of the soul, a life of union with
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