Prayer Prompt before reading MT 11:11-26 Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray well, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father is and God the Son so that I may know who I am.
“Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.”” MT 11:11-26
Humbly submit your will to God (thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven). Consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
I don’t fully understand faith, but Jesus tells us today if we have it we can move mountains. This is something I desire. Who wouldn’t? I have doubts throughout the day and I am a weak sinner. So, this faith that Jesus is talking about sounds amazing. The first thing we must think about is do we want it for power and to boost our pride or for the benefit of loving God more through understanding Him better which will help us grow in love.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “158 “Faith seeks understanding”:33 it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. The grace of faith opens “the eyes of your hearts”34 to a lively understanding of the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality of God’s plan and the mysteries of faith, of their connection with each other and with Christ, the center of the revealed mystery. “The same Holy Spirit constantly perfects faith by his gifts, so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly understood.”35 In the words of St. Augustine, “I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe.”36 (2705, 1827, 90, 2518)
Jesus then says if we have a strong faith, do not doubt, then anything we ask for in prayer will be granted. Do not forget or lose hope if your prayers are not answered right away or at all. Jesus answers with a resounding “yes” if it is His will, not yet, or I have something better in store for you. This is an opportunity for gratitude to recognize all God has already blessed us with. It may even include bearing a cross so that we may be purified in this life.
We should welcome that cross and offer it up to Him and thank Him for it instead of praying for Him to take it away. It is a special grace from Him, we do not want Him to take our crosses away. This is where we learn how much love Jesus had for us through His suffering. We too must suffer to learn what He went through to love us. This is a much straighter path to heaven.
Last, Jesus gives us a difficult task, forgiveness. I suck at forgiving, I have too much pride. We would not have a religion if it was not for forgiveness. The cross is where forgiveness was born and leads to love. Take some time today to think about who you need to forgive or ask forgiveness from. If you are like me, it is probably someone in the other room of your home. This is where Jesus teaches us to be humble and become a saint, with those He put around us here on this earth. Fr. Kapaun reminds us, “If we fail to forgive, we are rejecting our own faith!”
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YODO (You Only Die Once; we will live again!)
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