Faith is a deliberate submission of our mind to the authority of God, so that we assent to the divine truth. As such, it is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue. At the same time, our faith is not “blind” or irrational: it is in accord with reason and with that knowledge of the world which we have through science. Faith always seeks further understanding as is found in the teaching of the saints.

Having seen the risen Lord, the apostles were filled with zeal to bring others to the faith which had been entrusted to them. The told of the wonderful deeds of God and preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ, even at the cost of imprisonment and death. Their faith involved a passionate conviction in the truth and in the life-giving power of Jesus Christ; it was not an optional extra or a hobby that could be taken up or discarded on a whim.

This same conviction is necessary for us today if the Church is to flourish. Our faith is increased and nourished by charity in practice, and fervent prayer, culminating in the adoration of the Father which is found in the sacred Liturgy.