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Reflections: Feed Your Faith Section |
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Reflections:
Feed Your Faith Section
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Quotation |
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Believing in
God vs. Believing in His Existence
Also See:
God (Topic Page)
|
"Make
a note of the difference there is in believing in the existence of God
and believing in him." (St. John Vianney)
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Confessing Our Faith |
"[I]t
is not necessary for salvation to confess one's faith at all times and
in all places, but in certain places and at certain times, when, namely,
by omitting to do so, we would deprive God of due honor, or our neighbor
of a service that we ought to render him: for instance, if a man, on
being asked about his faith, were to remain silent, so as to make people
believe either that he is without faith, or that the faith is false, or
so as to turn others away from the faith; for in such cases as these,
confession of faith is necessary for salvation... The end of faith, even
as of the other virtues, must be referred to the end of charity, which
is the love of God and our neighbor. Consequently when God's honor and
our neighbor's good demand, man should not be contented with being
united by faith to God's truth, but ought to confess his faith
outwardly... In cases of necessity where faith is in danger, every one
is bound to proclaim his faith to others, either to give good example
and encouragement to the rest of the faithful, or to check the attacks
of unbelievers: but at other times it is not the duty of all the
faithful to instruct others in the faith...There is nothing commendable
in making a public confession of one's faith, if it causes a disturbance
among unbelievers, without any profit either to the faith or to the
faithful. Hence Our Lord said (Mt. 7:6): 'Give not that which is
holy to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine ... lest turning
upon you, they tear you.' Yet, if there is hope of profit to the faith,
or if there be urgency, a man should disregard the disturbance of
unbelievers, and confess his faith in public. Hence it is written (Mt. 15:12) that when the disciples had said to Our Lord that 'the
Pharisee, when they heard this word, were scandalized,' He answered:
'Let them alone, they are blind, and leaders of the blind.'" (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in
the history of the Church")
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Faith
and Humility |
"Whoever
will proudly dispute and contradict will always stand outside the door.
Christ, the master of humility, manifests His truth only to the humble
and hides Himself from the proud." (St. Vincent Ferrer)
"[F]aith
is not a gift of the proud but of the humble" (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church)
"...faith
has no other obstacle than [pride]. If man were humble, he would have
faith enough to move mountains." (Gueranger)
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Faith
and Prayer
Also See:
Catholic Prayers (Topic Page) |
"Faith
furnishes prayer with wings, without which it cannot soar to
heaven." (St. John Climacus)
"...when
faith fails, prayer dies. In order to pray then, we must have faith, and
that our faith fail not, we must pray. Faith pours forth prayer, and the
pouring forth of the heart in prayer gives steadfastness to faith."
(St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
Also
See: Prayers
/ Devotions (Reflections)
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Faith
and Reason |
"Reason
is one thing, and faith is another, and reason can as little be made a
substitute for faith, as faith can be made a substitute for
reason." (Cardinal Newman)
"What
is more against reason than to attempt, using reason, to transcend
reason itself? And what is more against faith than to be unwilling to
believe what reason cannot attain?" (St. Bernard of Clairvaux,
Doctor of the Church)
"You
must give up human understanding if you want to reach the goal, because
the truth is known by not knowing." (Bl. Henry Suso)
"To
be sure, life built on faith should be the fruit of religions formation.
Faith, however, is not a matter of imagination or pious emotion; but, on
the contrary, it is an intellectual recognition (of not a rational
permeation) and a voluntary acceptance by the will; a complete
development of faith is one of the most profound acts of the individual,
one in which all his powers become acute." (St. Edith Stein)
"So,
then, [the Church] goes forward to victory. 'First use your reason,' she
cries to the world, 'to see whether I be not Divine! Then, impelled by
Reason and aided by Grace, rise to Faith. Then once more call up your
Reason, to verify and understand those mysteries which you accept as
true. And so, little by little, vistas of truth will open about you and
doctrines glows with an undreamed-of light. So Faith will be interpreted
by Reason and Reason hold up the hands of Faith, until you come indeed
to the unveiled vision of the Truth whose feet already you grasp in love
and adoration; until you see, face to face in Heaven, Him Who is at once
the giver of Reason and the Author of Faith'." (Benson)
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Faith
and the Saints
Also See:
Saints
(Topic Page) |
"If
we possessed a real penetrating faith like the saints we should see our
Lord like they did." (St. John Vianney)
Also
See: Saints
(Reflections)
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Faith and
Understanding |
"Faith
opens the door to understanding, unbelief closes it." (St.
Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"[St.]
Augustine
says (Tractatus 27 in Joannis) that by faith we arrive at knowledge, and
not conversely." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"[U]nderstanding
is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou
mayest believe, but believe that thou may understand." (St.
Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"In many respects faith perceives the invisible things of God in a
higher way than natural reason does in proceeding to God from His
creatures. Hence it is written (Eccl. 3:23): 'Many things are
shown to thee above the understandings of man.'" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
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Faith and Works |
"[A]
firm and living faith is one which, day by day, is expressed in acts of
humility, prayer, and sacrifice." (Pope Pius XII)
"It
belongs to faith not only that the heart should believe, but also that
external words and deeds should bear witness to the inward faith, for
confession is an act of faith." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"You do right when
you offer faith to God; you do right when you offer works. But if you
separate the two, then you do wrong. For faith without works is dead;
and lack of charity in action murders faith, just as Cain murdered Abel,
so that God cannot respect your offering." (St. Bernard)
"What good is it, my
brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that
faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no
food for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm,
and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is
dead. Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.'
Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my
faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well.
Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you
ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was
completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says,
'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and
he was called 'the friend of God.' See how a person is justified by
works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the
harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent
them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is
dead, so also faith without works is dead." (St. James, Jms.
2:14-26)
Also See: Deeds
/ Works (Scripture) | Tough
Love in the New Testament
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Faith,
Hope, and Love |
"There
is no love without hope, no hope without love, and neither love nor hope
without faith." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"Faith
is the basis and foundation of all the other virtues, but particularly
of hope and of charity." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the
Church)
"My
children, the three acts of faith, hope, and charity contain all the
happiness of man upon earth." (St. John Vianney)
"Certainly
there can be faith without love, but such faith can profit
nothing." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"[T]he
will cannot tend to God with perfect love, unless the intellect
possesses right faith about Him." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"[F]aith,
hope, and love…everything else can be taken from you against your will
by an enemy; but this cannot be taken from you unless you are willing.
Everything else perishes, even against your will. You will to have gold;
and gold perishes. You will to have a home; and your home perishes. But
no one's faith perishes unless he spurns it." (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church)
"To
be a foundation a thing requires not only to come first, but also to be
connected with the other parts of the building: since the building would
not be founded on it unless the other parts adhered to it. Now the
connecting bond of the spiritual edifice is charity, according to
Colossians 3:14: 'Above all... things have charity which is the bond of
perfection.' Consequently faith without charity cannot be the
foundation: and yet it does not follow that charity precedes
faith." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
Also
See: Topical
Scripture (Faith) | Topical
Scripture (Hope) | Topical
Scripture (Love)
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Habitual
vs. Active Faith |
"Many
people have faith, but a faith which is habitual rather than active,
like a sword buried in its scabbard." (Ven. Mary of Agreda)
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Necessity of
Faith |
"[W]e
have need of faith, the mother of all good, the medicine of salvation,
in order to obtain any real good. They who endeavor without it, are like
men who venture on the sea without a boat, and, being able to swim only
a little way, are drowned." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the
Church)
Since, then, without faith it is impossible to
please God and reach the fellowship of his sons and daughters, it
follows that no one can ever achieve justification without it, neither
can anyone attain eternal life unless he or she perseveres in it to the
end." (First Vatican Council)
"Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be
condemned." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mk. 16:16)
Also See: Necessity
of Being Catholic for Salvation (Reflections) |
Tough Love in the New
Testament | Necessity
of Faith and Works / Not Saved by Faith Alone (Reflections) | Non-Catholics
Section (apologetics)
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Necessity of
Faith and Works / Not Saved by Faith Alone |
"What good is it, my
brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that
faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no
food for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm,
and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is
dead. Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.'
Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my
faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well.
Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you
ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was
completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says,
'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and
he was called 'the friend of God.' See how a person is justified by
works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the
harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent
them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is
dead, so also faith without works is dead." (St. James, Jms.
2:14-26)
"You do right when
you offer faith to God; you do right when you offer works. But if you
separate the two, then you do wrong. For faith without works is dead;
and lack of charity in action murders faith, just as Cain murdered Abel,
so that God cannot respect your offering." (St. Bernard)
"...though faith is
the first essential of a Christian, yet without works it is a dead
faith, and will not save us (Jms. 2:26)." (Gueranger)
Also See: Deeds
/ Works (Scripture) | Tough
Love in the New Testament | Non-Catholics
Section (apologetics)
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Not All That Come to
the Faith are Saved
Also See:
Heaven / Salvation (Topic Page) |
"Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 7:21)
"There
be very many come to the faith, yet but few arrive at the heavenly
kingdom; many follow God in words, but shun Him in their lives. Whereof
spring two things to be thought upon. The first, that none should
presume ought concerning himself; for though he be called to the faith,
he knows not whether he shall be chosen to the kingdom. Secondly, that
none should despair of his neighbor, even though he see him lying in
vices; because he knows not the riches of the Divine mercy." (St.
Gregory of Nazianzus, Doctor of the Church)
"How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
(Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 7:14)
"Many are invited, but few are chosen."
(Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 22:14)
Also See: Tough
Love in the New Testament | Catholic
Basics
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Nourishing /
Protecting
Faith
|
"[N]othing
is more fitted for the nourishment of divine faith than the pious habit
of prayer" (Pope Leo XIII, "Exeunte Iam Anno", 1888)
"Do
you know that often a root has split a rock when allowed to remain in
it? Give no place to the seed of evil, seeing that it will break up your
faith." (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church)
"The
mother of faith is hard work and an upright heart; the one builds
belief, the other makes it endure." (St. John Climacus)
"When
men are slow to do good, they fast lose both faith and grace." (St.
Thomas More)
"The
masters of the spiritual life state that the study of the sacred
sciences, provided they be imparted in the right way and according to
correct systems, is a most efficacious help in preserving and nourishing
the spirit of faith, checking the passions, and maintaining the soul
united to God." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950)
"[M]en
have become possessed with so arrogant a sense of their own powers as
already to consider themselves able to banish from social life the
authority and empire of God. Led away by this delusion, they make over
to human nature the dominion of which they think God has been despoiled;
from nature, they maintain, we must seek the principle and rule of all
truth; from nature, they aver, alone spring, and to it should be
referred, all the duties that religious feeling prompts. Hence, they
deny all revelation from on high, and all fealty due to the Christian
teaching of morals as well as all obedience to the Church, and they go
so far as to deny her power of making laws and exercising every other
kind of right, even disallowing the Church any place among the civil
institutions of the commonweal... Under such evil circumstances
therefore, each one is bound in conscience to watch over himself, taking
all means possible to preserve the faith inviolate in the depths of his
soul, avoiding all risks, and arming himself on all occasions,
especially against the various specious sophisms rife among
non-believers. In order to safeguard this virtue of faith in its
integrity, We declare it to be very profitable and consistent with the
requirements of the time, that each one, according to the measure of his
capacity and intelligence, should make a deep study of Christian
doctrine, and imbue his mind with as perfect a knowledge as may be of
those matters that are interwoven with religion and lie within the range
of reason. And as it is necessary that faith should not only abide
untarnished in the soul, but should grow with ever painstaking increase,
the suppliant and humble entreaty of the apostles ought constantly to be
addressed to God: 'Increase our faith.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae", 1890)
Also
See: Topical
Scripture (Perseverance) | Catholic
Basics | Prayers
/ Devotions Section
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Obligation to
Believe |
"Just
as taking a vow is a matter of will, and keeping a vow, a matter of
obligation, so acceptance of the faith is a matter of the will, whereas
keeping the faith, when once one has received it, is a matter of
obligation." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"After
grace had been revealed, both learned and simple folk are bound to
explicit faith in the mysteries of Christ, chiefly as regards those
which are observed throughout the Church, and publicly proclaimed, such
as the articles which refer to the Incarnation" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"Therefore,
as regards the primary points or articles of faith, man is bound to
believe them, just as he is bound to have faith; but as to other points
of faith, man is not bound to believe them explicitly, but only
implicitly, or to be ready to believe them, in so far as he is prepared
to believe whatever is contained in the Divine Scriptures. Then alone is
he bound to believe such things explicitly, when it is clear to him that
they are contained in the doctrine of faith." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
Also See: Necessity
of Faith (Reflections) | Necessity
of Being Catholic for Salvation (Reflections) | Tough
Love in the New Testament | Necessity
of Faith and Works / Not Saved by Faith Alone (Reflections) | Non-Catholics
Section (apologetics)
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Obtaining
Faith |
"If
you set out to meet God, he will come to meet you." (St. John
Vianney)
"Those
who lack the faith are to recommended particularly to Mary as a means to
finding Christ, the Son of God." (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)
"It
is faith we want. Ask God to open the eyes of your heart. If you say to
our Lord sincerely, like the blind man in Jericho: 'O Lord, make me to
see!', you will certainly obtain what you desire." (St. John
Vianney)
"God
always gives sufficient grace to whoever is willing to receive it. This
is an established truth and all theologians are in agreement with
it." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"If
you wish to convert anyone to the fullness of the knowledge of Our Lord
and of His Mystical Body, then teach him the Rosary. One of two things
will happen. Either he will stop saying the Rosary - or he will get the
gift of faith." (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)
"[C]ertain
virtues may be said to precede faith accidentally, in so far as they
remove obstacles to belief. Thus fortitude removes the inordinate fear
that hinders faith; humility removes pride, whereby a man refuses to
submit himself to the truth of faith." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor
of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
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Perseverance
in Unbelief |
"Just
as faith is the origin of the virtues, so the basis of the vices is to
persevere in unbelief, as the Lord attests in a terrifying way when he
says, 'But the one who does not believe is already judged, because he
does not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God' (Jn.
3:18)." (St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor of the Church)
Also
See: Topical
Scripture (Disbelief / Unbelief)
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Test
of Faith |
"Since
gold and silver, which are only corruptible metals, are purified and
tested by fire, it is but reasonable that our faith, which surpasses all
the riches of the world, should be tried." (St. Peter Claver)
"[Faith]
grows brighter and stronger under trial." (Liturgical Year)
"He
is hidden from our eyes under the humility of his Sacrament, to try our
faith" (St. John Vianney)
"We
must neither doubt nor hesitate with respect to the words of the Lord;
rather, we must be fully persuaded that every word of God is true and
possible, even if our nature should rebel against the idea - for in this
lies the test of faith." (St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church)
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What
Faith Is |
"Faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the
evidence of things that appear not." (St. Paul, Heb. 11:1)
"[F]aith
is a habit of the mind, whereby eternal life is begun in us, making the
intellect assent to what is non-apparent." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"[F]aith is
a virtue whereby we believe what we do not see" (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church)
"Faith
is the first bond which unites us to God. It is faith that gives us to
know Him, and reveals to us the object of our hope and of our love. Our
faith should be dearer to us than our life, and we should be ever
praying for its increase." (Liturgical Year)
"[F]aith
is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all
Justification; without which it is impossible to please God, and to come
unto the fellowship of His sons" (Council of Trent)
Also
See: Catholic
Basics
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Willing
Belief |
"A
person can do other things against his will, but belief is possible only
in one who is willing." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"You
can force a man to enter a church, to approach the altar, to receive the
Sacrament; but you cannot force him to believe." (St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church)
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Misc.
|
"[F]aith
is the most precious possession of the just." (Liturgical Year)
"He that cometh to God, must believe that He is, and is a
rewarder to them that seek Him." (St. Paul, Heb. 11:6)
"[I]f
faith be lost, all is lost." (Liturgical Year)
"There
is nothing more certain than our faith, nothing safer, nothing more holy,
nothing that rests on firmer principles." (Pope Pius IX)
"Christians
will learn...that they cannot grow in virtue without first increasing
their faith and knowledge and of the mysteries of the Incarnate
Word." (Gueranger)
"The
beginning of a good life, to which also life eternal is owed, is correct
faith. Faith, however, is believing what you do not yet see; to which
faith is the reward is seeing what you believe. Let us not fail in the
time for faith, therefore, as in a time for sowing, and let us not fail
even to the end; but let us persevere, until we can reap what we have
sown." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"We
call firm faith: an absolute faith, without reservations or reticence, a
faith which does not falter before the ultimate consequences of truth,
which does not draw back from its most rigorous applications. Do not let
yourselves be deceived, like so many others, after thousands of
disastrous experiences, with the empty hope of winning over the
adversary by walking in his wake and taking him as your model."
(Pope Pius XII)
"I
may love by halves, I may obey by halves; I cannot believe by halves:
either I have faith, or I have it not." (Cardinal Newman)
"We
must have this firm faith not only in some but in all the truths which
God has made known, although they may be altogether incomprehensive to
us. Faith will not allow of the rejection of even one; and he who should
voluntarily entertain a doubt of one single article - one single point
of faith - could not be said to have faith at all. We believe everything
that God has revealed, precisely for this reason: that God has said
it." (Muller)
"No
one is a martyr for a conclusion; no one is a martyr for an opinion; it
is faith that makes martyrs." (Cardinal Newman)
"[T]o
believe is meritorious." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"...there
is no richer man than he who has the faith." (Liturgical Year)
"For
we find far more men who would rather believe well than do well."
(St. Thomas More)
"The
believer has sufficient motive for believing, for he is moved by the
authority of Divine teaching confirmed by miracles, and, what is more,
by the inward instinct of the Divine invitation: hence he does not
believe lightly." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"If
anyone says that divine revelation cannot be made credible by external
signs, and that therefore men and women ought to be moved to faith only
by each one's internal experience or private inspiration: let him be
anathema." (First Vatican Council)
"If
anyone says that the assent to Christian faith is not free, but is
necessarily produced by arguments of human reason; or that the grace of
God is necessary only for living faith which works by charity: let him
be anathema." (First Vatican Council)
"If
anyone says that divine faith is not to be distinguished from natural
knowledge about God and moral matters, and consequently that for divine
faith it is not required that revealed truth should be believed because
of the authority of God who reveals it: let him be anathema."
(First Vatican Council)
"Faith,
however, is increased and strengthened not only by making acts of faith,
but particularly by praying for its increase and strength. Jesus Christ
has promised every grace to prayer, and we give him the greatest
pleasure when we ask of him the inestimable gift of a lively faith. We
may rest assured that he will hear our prayer for the increase of faith,
for he is more desirous to bestow this gift upon us than we are to
receive it." (Muller)
"Whatever
is in opposition to faith, whether it consist in a man's thoughts, or in
outward persecution, increases the merit of faith, in so far as the will
is shown to be more prompt and firm in believing. Hence the martyrs had
more merit of faith, through not renouncing faith on account of
persecution; and even the wise have greater merit of faith, through not
renouncing their faith on account of the reasons brought forward by
philosophers or heretics in opposition to faith. On the other hand
things that are favorable to faith, do not always diminish the
promptness of the will to believe, and therefore they do not always
diminish the merit of faith." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"Obedience
is twofold: for sometimes it denotes the inclination of the will to
fulfill God's commandments. In this way it is not a special virtue, but
is a general condition of every virtue; since all acts of virtue come
under the precepts of the Divine law...and thus it is requisite for
faith. In another way, obedience denotes an inclination to fulfill the
commandments considered as a duty. In this way it is a special virtue,
and a part of justice: for a man does his duty by his superior when he
obeys him: and thus obedience follows faith, whereby man knows that God
is his superior, Whom he must obey." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"[M]an's
ultimate happiness consists in a supernatural vision of God: to which
vision man cannot attain unless he be taught by God, according to John
6:45: 'Every one that hath heard of the Father and hath learned cometh
to Me.' Now man acquires a share of this learning, not indeed all at
once, but by little and little, according to the mode of his nature: and
every one who learns thus must needs believe, in order that he may
acquire science in a perfect degree; thus also the Philosopher remarks
(De Sophisticis Elenchis i,2) that 'it behooves a learner to believe.'
Hence in order that a man arrive at the perfect vision of heavenly
happiness, he must first of all believe God, as a disciple believes the
master who is teaching him." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"Since
human beings are totally dependent on God as their Creator and Lord, and
created reason is completely subject to uncreated truth, we are obliged
to yield to God the revealer full submission of intellect and will by
faith. This faith, which is the beginning of human salvation, the
Catholic Church professes to be a supernatural virtue, by means of
which, with the grace of God inspiring and assisting us, we believe to
be true what He has revealed, not because we perceive its intrinsic
truth by the natural light of reason, but because of the authority of
God himself, who makes the revelation and can neither deceive nor be
deceived. Faith, declares the Apostle, is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen. Nevertheless, in order that the
submission of our faith should be in accordance with reason, it was
God's will that there should be linked to the internal assistance of the
Holy Spirit external indications of his revelation, that is to say
divine acts, and first and foremost miracles and prophecies, which
clearly demonstrating as they do the omnipotence and infinite knowledge
of God, are the most certain signs of revelation and are suited to the
understanding of all. Hence Moses and the prophets, and especially
Christ our Lord himself, worked many absolutely clear miracles and
delivered prophecies; while of the apostles we read: And they went forth
and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed
the message by the signs that attended it. Again it is written: We have
the prophetic word made more sure; you will do well to pay attention to
this as to a lamp shining in a dark place. Now, although the assent of
faith is by no means a blind movement of the mind, yet no one can accept
the gospel preaching in the way that is necessary for achieving
salvation without the inspiration and illumination of the Holy Spirit,
who gives to all facility in accepting and believing the truth. And so
faith in itself, even though it may not work through charity, is a gift
of God, and its operation is a work belonging to the order of salvation,
in that a person yields true obedience to God himself when he accepts
and collaborates with his grace which he could have rejected. Wherefore,
by divine and Catholic faith all those things are to be believed which
are contained in the word of God as found in scripture and tradition,
and which are proposed by the Church as matters to be believed as
divinely revealed, whether by her solemn judgment or in her ordinary and
universal magisterium. Since, then, without faith it is impossible to
please God and reach the fellowship of his sons and daughters, it
follows that no one can ever achieve justification without it, neither
can anyone attain eternal life unless he or she perseveres in it to the
end." (First Vatican Council)
"Faith
is the first link that unites us to God; for, as the apostles says, he
that cometh to God, must believe (Heb. xi. 6). It brings us to God, and
keeps us there. Our Savior here tells us that he who believeth is not
judged: and the reason is, that he, whose faith is what our Gospel
implies it to be, does not only assent to a doctrine, but he embraces it
with his whole heart and mind; he believes it, because he wishes to love
what he believes. Faith works, and is perfected by charity; but it is
itself a foretaste of charity. Therefore does our Lord promise salvation
to him that believeth. This faith meets with obstacles, because of our
fallen nature. As we have just been told, light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light. In this our age, darkness is
prevalent. Even false lights are seen to rise up, and mislead thousands.
We repeat it: faith - that faith which brings us to God and saves us
from His judgments - is now rare." (Gueranger)
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