the greatest act of faith
"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who sent His angel to deliver the servants that trusted in Him." —Daniel 3:95
In eleven days, the Lord will call us to renew our baptismal promises. In every Catholic church in the world, at every Mass on Easter Sunday, the Lord will challenge us to answer "I do" to six questions. If God has His way, this will be the greatest act of faith we have ever made in our lives. Even if we have totally committed our lives to the Lord previously, He is not calling us to rerun the past. After all the love the Lord has poured out on us since last Easter, we should have a deeper, stronger faith than ever before.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made the greatest act of faith in their lives when they refused to worship the golden statue and were thrown into the fiery furnace (Dn 3:12). This Easter Sunday we also can make the greatest act of faith in our lives. Jesus is preparing us for this great event by speaking His word to us, for faith comes through hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rm 10:17). The Holy Spirit is working to produce the gift and fruit of faith in us (1 Cor 12:9; Gal 5:22) by convicting us of our sins (Jn 16:8). Our heavenly Father is loving us into a deeper faith by faithfully providing for our basic needs. If we let God work, He will produce a masterpiece of faith this Easter.
Prayer: Father, may I let You father me. May I not try to control, insure, or protect my life.
Promise: "If you live according to My teaching, you are truly My disciples; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." —Jn 8:31-32
Praise: John quit his job and moved to Ohio so he could directly work with God as He worked through Presentation Ministries.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Do You Renounce Satan? on audio AV 44-1 or video V-44.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 14, 2007
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