One
definition of faith, or at least a component of it, is trust
Throughout
the Bible, especially in the Psalms, we are urged to trust God, even in the direst
circumstances. In exchange for our trust, God gives us His mercy. That mercy,
in turn, helps us trust God more. In the Gospels, we see how Jesus rewards our
faith with His miracles.
During
the 20th Century, two people helped us learn more about the relationship
between trust and mercy: St. Faustina, a Polish nun who received messages from
Jesus about His Divine Mercy, and her spiritual director, Blessed Father
Michael Sopocko.
"The
decisive factor in obtaining God's mercy is trust," Sopocko wrote.
"Trust is the expectation of someone's help."
Our
faith depends on our perception of God, the college professor said. If we are
adopted sons of God, we should have a childlike trust in our Father. A lack of
trust prevents God from lavishing His mercy and blessings on us. "It is
like a dark cloud impeding the action of the sun's rays, or a dam cutting off
one's access to spring water."
"We
must put our whole trust in God," Sopocko said.
"Trust
in God should be strong and enduring, without doubts or hesitations. Such was
the trust of Abraham, who was ready to offer up his son in sacrifice. And such
was the trust of the martyrs. On the other hand, the Apostles, during the
storm, were found wanting in this virtue, and Our Lord reproached them with the
words: 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?'"
Our
humility, knowing our own faults, will strengthen our trust and reliance on
God. Our trust should be our homage to God's mercy, the priest said. He added
that trust in our Lord brings us joy, miracles, inner peace and opens the way
to all the virtues.
Jesus,
in the message he revealed to St. Faustina, described His Sacred Heart as as an
infinite fountain of mercy from which anyone, even the most hardened sinner,
can draw. All we need is a vessel.
"The
graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only and that is
trust," He said. "The more a soul trusts, the more it will
receive."
"But
there is more to trust than just believing that God is trustworthy,"
according to the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, who preach about
Divine Mercy.* "We have to act upon that belief. Trust involves a turning
back to God, a real conversion of our whole lives to God, repenting of our sins
and forgiving others. Trust is a living faith.
"Trust
means that we agree to let God be God, instead of trying to be God ourselves.
(Trust is the antidote to the first sin of Adam!) It means that we agree that
God can write the script of our lives, instead of insisting on our own script.
It means that we agree with the great pledge we make in the Our Father: 'Your
will (not mine) be done on earth as it is in Heaven.' It means that even in our
moments of agony we agree with the cry of Jesus in the Garden, 'Not my will,
but Yours be done.' (Luke 22:42).
"God
is Mercy Itself, and we are called to practice the ABCs of mercy (Ask for His
Mercy, Be merciful to others, Completely trust in Jesus). As we do, our trust
in Jesus is the vital ingredient. We don't simply ask for mercy, nor do we
simply try to be good to other people. We ask with complete trust, and Our Lord
fills us with grace so that we can be merciful as our Heavenly Father is
merciful."
Again,
Jesus speaks through St. Faustina: "I am Love and Mercy Itself. When a
soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that
it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls."
*from
the Web site "The Divine Mercy"
Inspired by this Year of Faith we will be
posting columns like this about exploring and/or deepening our faith. Watch for
it on Thursdays.
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