Faith

Faith is the first of the theological virtues. By it, man holds fast to God and holds true all that he has revealed, because God is truth itself and can neither deceive nor be deceived. It rests on the authority of the one who reveals, and attains what it does not see, on the word of God who gives himself to be known: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

A gift received from God

Faith is a gift that God infuses into the soul together with sanctifying grace. It surpasses the powers of reason left to itself, for it attains truths that the human mind cannot discover on its own. It is God who draws the heart and opens it to his word: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” John 6:44

Received by pure goodness, it is offered to all and welcomed in freedom. Saint Paul traces its origin to grace: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

To believe God and to believe in God

To believe is to hold true what God says because it is he who says it, and to entrust oneself wholly to him. The intellect recognises the revealed truth, and the will, moved by grace, freely consents to it. This adherence is born of hearing the word proclaimed: “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

Abraham is its model. Called by God, he sets out toward a land he does not know and entrusts himself to the promise on the sole word of the one who makes it: “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3 He thus becomes the father of all believers.

A faith that works through charity

Faith receives its full life from charity, which puts it into action. United to the love of God, it is expressed in deeds and bears fruit. Saint James shows its measure: “Faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.” James 2:17

Saint Paul names what gives it its worth before God: “What counts is faith working through charity.” Galatians 5:6 Such a faith is also confessed with the lips and stands firm in trial, carrying outward the witness of what the heart holds true.

The necessity of faith

Faith is necessary for salvation. It is the beginning of life with God and the foundation of all that follows, for one draws near to him by believing that he is and that he rewards those who seek him: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6

Christ joined it to baptism as the way of salvation offered to all: “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved.” Mark 16:16 Kept and nourished by prayer, the hearing of the word and the sacraments, faith grows until the day it is fulfilled in vision, when man will see God as he is: “Now we see through a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.” 1 Corinthians 13:12