Tag Archives: faith

Faith in prayer

Christ and the Canaanite womanThe Canaanite woman who begged Christ to free her daughter from a demon, only to meet with apparent rejection, shows us how to pray. In this meditation we use the text of the gospel of St Matthew plus quotations of St John Chrysostom, St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, St John Vianney and others to consider five lessons this woman teaches us:

  1. The need for prayer
  2. God answers the prayers of everyone
  3. The importance of faith
  4. The need for perseverance
  5. The value of humility

Calming the storm

St Matthew relates in his gospel how Christ, after multiplying the loaves and fish to feed the multitude, went up onto the hillside to pray. Before dawn the following day he walked on the water to the apostles who were in the boat and calmed the storm. In this meditation we consider how:

  • Prayer is very important in our life, especially when we are going through storms
  • Sometimes works of charity take precedence over our prayer
  • As a result of original sin, there will always be suffering in various forms
  • Christ does not abandon us; he always comes to our aid
  • We should continue praying with faith, confident that Christ always hears us

The wedding feast of Cana

Our Lord’s first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana has much to teach us. In this meditation we use texts of St Josemaria, Tertullian and St John Vianney to consider some of these lessons:

  • The beauty of Christian marriage
  • The importance of inviting Jesus to our wedding
  • Our Lady’s motherly concern at Cana and in our own lives
  • The power of Mary’s intercession
  • The importance of doing whatever Jesus asks us
  • Jesus’ power to do miracles today if we ask him with faith
  • The witness of our own faith to those around us

Mary, teacher of faith

nativity-scene showing Jesus with Mary and Joseph

Mary and Joseph with the newly born infant, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is one of the most important virtues and is always a gift from God. In this meditation we consider that:

  • Our Lady throughout her life teaches us how to live this virtue
  • We need faith both to believe in the truths revealed by God and also to believe that nothing is impossible with God
  • Faith helps us to know that God is with us in the trials of life
  • Faith gives meaning to life