General Audience: January 23, 2013
With today's audience, the Holy Father officially started his catechesis on the Creed. Up until now, we have been looking primarily at the preambula fidei, the steps that come before faith. So, we have examined the act of faith, God's gift of faith as well as our free response. We have also looked at Revelation and how Jesus Christ, the Word-made-flesh, is the pinnacle of revelation; in Him, God's revelation is completed and forever fulfilled.
Our act of faith depends on hearing the word of God so that we may respond to His call. We hear that word in Sacred Scripture, which recounts for us God's gradual revelation of Himself to humanity. The Bible teaches us about faith and also shows us to be faith-filled people.
Chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews speaks in a singular way about faith and also shines a light on the most important people in the Bible who let themselves be guided and God and responded to Him in faith. Abraham is especially a great model of faith.
Why is Abraham still a model for us? Sustained by God’s blessing and trusting in his promises, Abraham set off into
the unknown. Like Abraham, we too are called to let faith shape our thoughts and
actions in accordance with God’s saving word, even when this runs contrary to
the thinking and ways of this world. With the eyes of faith, we discern God’s
presence and his promise of eternal life beyond the realities of this present
existence. In opening ourselves to God’s blessing, we become in turn a blessing
for others.
Like Abraham, faith allows us to persevere in a paradoxical path: we are blessed, but not always with visible signs that we can see. When we affirm: "I believe in God" we also mean that we trust in God and in His promises. It doesn't matter what the world or other people may think or say about us. We are children of God. Like Abraham, we walk in faith toward our true homeland.
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