Faith, conviction
See also: Hope, Love, Charity, Loving, Virtues, Religion.
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Faith, a free gift from God and accessible to those who ask for it with humility, is the supernatural virtue necessary to be saved. The act of faith is a human act, that is, an act of the intelligence of man who, under the motion of the will moved by God, freely gives his adherence to the divine truth. Moreover, faith is certain, because it is founded on the Word of God; it is active "through charity"[1]; it grows continually especially through listening to the Word of God and through prayer. Even now, it gives a foretaste of the joy of heaven.[2]
In "The Gospel as it was revealed to me"
- Joseph blindly believed the word of the heavenly messenger. He only wanted to believe because he was sincerely convinced that God is good and that to him, who had hoped in the Lord, the Lord would not reserve the pain of being betrayed.[3]
- "Gospel of Faith".[4]
- Profession of Faith of John.[5]
- The testimony of true faith to convert the pagans Romans.[6]
- Act of faith of John and Simon the Zealot.[7]
- How to fight the weakening of Faith.[8]
- Faith of the centurion; Healing of his servant at Capernaum "Lord, I am not worthy..."[9]
- Faith without instruction: Do you have sufficient knowledge of the Law to know its ten commandments? … then you know enough to be holy.[10]
- Faith is not imposed. It is preached by peace, gentleness, patience, and steadfastness.[11]
- When someone comes to believe that I can heal an illness without remedies, he is already advanced in faith. First mission in evangelization of Andrew and Philip, the power of conviction.[12]
- Parable of the vine (symbol of faith) and the elm stake that ends up choking it.[13]
- The different faiths of the disciples during the multiplication of the loaves.[14]
- Man of little faith. Why did you doubt Me?[15]
- See then how necessary humility is to have prompt faith and how one is rewarded for knowing how to believe, even against contrary appearances.[16]
- He who possesses faith possesses the path of Life. He who knows how to believe does not wander.[17]
- But when the Son of man comes, will He perhaps find faith on the Earth?[18] and [19]
- "It is love to know how to hope and believe beyond all measure and beyond any reality that might deny faith and hope. Well, for these reasons, I tell you to know how to hope and believe despite every contrary reality. Do you understand me? I say: know how to hope and believe despite every contrary reality." (Jesus to Martha and Mary Magdalene, concerning Lazarus who was dying).[20]
- Mary Magdalene: The Master said that we must hope beyond what it is possible to hope for, and in God alone. And we will do so.[21]
- (...) to teach you all the great virtue which, like the arms of a yoke, supports Faith and Charity. Bridge of the soul, so that it can release its flight into the Light, and it is placed in the middle between the indispensable Faith and the very perfect Charity, because without Hope there can be no Faith, and without hope Charity dies. (Jesus details this in [22]).
- (...) Faith presupposes hope full of certainty. How can one believe in reaching God if one does not hope in His Goodness? How can one find support in life if one does not hope for an eternity? How can one persevere in justice if one is not inspired by the hope that each of our good actions is seen by God and that from Him we will receive a reward?
Similarly, how can Charity live if there is no hope within us? Hope precedes Charity and prepares it. For a man needs hope to be able to love. The desperate no longer love.
Here is the framework made of bars and uprights: Faith are the bars, Hope the uprights; at the top is Charity towards which one climbs by means of the other two. Man hopes in order to believe, he believes in order to love.[23]
In the other works of Maria Valtorta
The Notebooks of 1943
- Dictation of December 29: Seeing the idols of mud that you have erected in place of the true God collapse, you will know that you have worshiped foul things and you will no longer have faith. Faith in nothing. Neither in the true, nor in the false.[24]
In fundamental Christian texts
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Faith, a free gift from God and accessible to those who ask for it with humility, is the supernatural virtue necessary to be saved. The act of faith is a human act, that is, an act of the intelligence of man which, under the motion of the will moved by God, freely gives its adherence to the divine truth. Moreover, faith is certain because it is founded on the Word of God; it is active "through charity"[25]; it grows continually, especially through listening to the Word of God and prayer. Even now, it gives a foretaste of the joy of heaven.[26]
- There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13).
- The theological virtues found, animate, and characterize the moral actions of the Christian. They inform and vivify all moral virtues. They are infused by God into the soul of the faithful to make them capable of acting as His children and deserving eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being.[27]
- Virtue of Faith: CEC 1814 to 1816.[28]
- Virtue of Hope: CEC 1817 to 1821.[29]
- Virtue of Charity: CEC 1822 to 1829.[30]
Notes and references
- ↑ Ga 5:6
- ↑ Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 28
- ↑ EMV 26
- ↑ EMV 34
- ↑ EMV 49
- ↑ EMV 86
- ↑ EMV 116
- ↑ EMV 165
- ↑ EMV 177
- ↑ EMV 182
- ↑ EMV 199
- ↑ EMV 215
- ↑ EMV 252
- ↑ EMV 273
- ↑ EMV 274
- ↑ EMV 324
- ↑ EMV 390
- ↑ Luke 18:8
- ↑ EMV 505
- ↑ EMV 536.11
- ↑ EMV 542
- ↑ EMV 268.7
- ↑ EMV 256.6-7
- ↑ Dictation of December 29, 1943
- ↑ Ga 5:6
- ↑ Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 28
- ↑ CEC 1813
- ↑ CEC 1814 to 1816
- ↑ CEC 1817 to 1821
- ↑ CEC 1822 to 1829