HOMILY OF SATURDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
ST THOMAS AQUINAS[Memorial]
Heb 11:1-2,8-19, Mk 4:35-41
THEME: HOW FAITH IS BUILT
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself” CCC 1814.
Paul in Romans 10:17 says that “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
Faith is a product of trust which has been built through experience. It will be difficult to believe in God if we have not experienced or encountered him. God’s revelation is made concrete in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ. The teaching of the church is meant to bring people to experience the special love of God in Christ. Both the teaching and works of the church open the door of the kingdom wide. Our worship must create avenue for deep spiritual encounter. The people of God must be led to have a feel of the awe filled presence of the Lord.
Interestingly, St Thomas was a great man of God. Though his writings and teachings have been seminal to the thinking of the church, he confessed that his works were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He made this confession when on the 6th of December, 1273 he experienced a divine revelation.
Hence, if faith must be built in people, they must be led to an encounter. Our words alone will not do it. Our flesh and blood relationship have a lot to do with building faith in the people around us.
If we seek to lead people to believe in us, we will surely fail them, but if we walk them to experience the love of God, they will surely have something which can ignite faith in them. We are channels of faith and people must see God through us.
May the Lord grant us a taste of his divine glory that we may in turn ignite faith in others.
