Hello and welcome to Two Hearts True Healing! I am your host Jacinta Wick! I am very glad to be with you today! This is Season Two Episode 9. Last time we talked about the decision to belong. We have the power to either live in or outside of God’s grace. In this episode, we are going to talk about faith. What to do when a pathway is laid out before us. Do we jump on the bandwagon right away or do we wait and see what happens or do we do nothing at all? These are what always pass before us when we have to decide what to do. One of these options will be chosen. Perhaps you are the impulsive type. What I would recommend for these types of people is to wait and see if God gives you anymore open doors or signs to follow a certain path or if any close. Good things come to those who wait. Perhaps you are already a slow calculating person. My challenge to you is to step outside of your box and make a decision. God can make good come out of a mistake and a failure is nothing to fear. God uses those too. Perhaps you are a person who doesn’t do much of anything and is more passive and apathetic. My challenge to you is to wake up and search for the voice of God and begin following a path. God can move you once you decide to move. Or perhaps you are currently on a path and wondering if it is the right one. My suggestion, keep searching. Question. God will answer. He loves when we seek, knock, and ask. Sooner or later, though, you do have to act and make that decision a reality.

I wish following the voice of God was more cut and dry but life can throw us lots of curve balls and it takes practice to find out which voice is speaking to you and if it is God or yourself or others or the Devil. But the thing about following, though, is that each time we choose something and follow it we get stronger and gain more wisdom. This actually has a name: faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in  Paragraph 26 that Faith is man’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. First the search [for meaning and for God] then Divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man and finally the response of faith. And in CCC 52 we hear, “It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature.” The next paragraph is amazing and we used it in Season 1 in the introduction. The CCC 53 continues, “The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously ‘by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other’ and shed light on each other. It involves a specific divine pedagogy (which is the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.) God communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.

I love that! God communicates himself to man gradually. Day in and day out by stages. We are joined to His personal mission. We have access to the Father by this mission in Jesus Christ’s redemption and daily find Him. Faith is our response to this movement. That basically is what the latter quotes are saying. Isn’t it consoling to know that God has so much affection for us that He slowly moves so that we can grow accustomed to Him? Like wading into shallow water so we can dive into the depths. This is a lot of verbiage but it lays the foundation for our scripture passages and for our discussion. Let’s turn to Romans 3:21-31. Righteousness through faith. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction…they are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

So that means that Christ’s salvation gives us the grace to find Him and be joined to His mission. All the prophets bear witness to it. Does that mean the law is disregarded? No. It means that God looks for faith in us. Works are the fruit of faith in the expiation of Jesus by his blood and to be received by our faith. Saint Paul says, …it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On the principle of works? No, but on the principle of faith. For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of law. So does that mean that our Christian brothers are right in saying faith alone and works are empty? No. We can have empty works but faith with works is what Saint Paul is saying in this passage. A marriage of the two. They cannot be held separate. That is what he means when he says faith apart from the law, meaning not just law but law with faith. Verse 31 says exactly what I was just saying. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! (Notice the exclamation point) On the contrary, we uphold the law. Remember our Catechism quote, “by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other?” 

The Psalm 130 we have already spoken on in a previous episode, but this time read and pray it in the light of faith. What stuck out to me was the last verse. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. This Psalm really has all three theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Love. They are bound together and feed each other. We know that Love (charity) is the greatest of these virtues but without Faith and Hope it could not stand. With trust, (meaning hope) we know that God will come to us and redeem us. Faith is a gift that is given by God but it also must be practiced. God speaks to us in so many different ways. Other times, He waits to see if we can take a few steps on our own toward Him like a little toddler. He wants us to decide to follow Him. He waits on us to see if we are seriously following him or if it is a vain enterprise. He also sometimes wants us to grow by stepping out in Faith, trusting that He will bless our efforts and confirm or deny what we started. The secret is to obey right away once we hear His voice and when we don’t, we still step as if we had by remaining at our post and fulfilling our duties in our states of life.

The Gospel passage is not an easy listen. Luke 11:47-54. It is a challenge to be a witness that listens to the Word of God and steps in faith by little steps to open the tombs versus building them. You know the saying, “You dug your own grave.” Well that is applicable here as God is asking us to be a martyr. To actually give our life to something and not be too caught up in the titles and tattles but in the heart of the matter. We must live and carry the burden we speak of and help others to carry it. Do not build a high castle and not lift one brick expecting the others to do all the work and you sit idly by. No! You must have a purpose or your life is empty. It may help you to write down three main goals that you wish to accomplish and post them somewhere where you will see them. (Or pick one virtue.) As you look at these goals, take at least one concrete step toward them each day. It is helpful to take a little time in the middle and at the end of your day to see how you carried them out. Ask God for help in growing in those weak areas of your day and thank Him for the time you were able to be successful. He is so forgiving! He wants us to walk with Him, in Faith. Let’s close with a very poignant quote from the diary of St. Faustina to fill your sales and carry you through your day moving you to action. “I came down from Heaven out of love for you: I lived for you, I died for you, and I created the heavens for you.” (Diary #853)

Personal witness of discovering what it means to follow a vocation in faith…whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins;                      – Romans 3:25

If something touched you, share it with a friend and spread the word. I too want to hear if something encouraged you. You can always reach me at twoheartstruehealing@outlook.com or on my website www.twoheartstruehealing.com in the comments or in the contact section. Please stay tuned as some really great things are almost ready to be released. I am praying for the theme of the next season and would love to hear if you have some ideas. I think I may know already but would love some feedback. Thank you for listening and know I am praying for you and holding you in my heart! Until next time, God Bless!