Building Faith

No one experiencing temptation should say,
“I am being tempted by God”;
for God is not subject to temptation to evil,
and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,
and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. James 1:13-15

Today’s readings continue on a discourse on faith building.  The message from the letter of St James stresses the theme of perseverance in fidelity to the Lord.  The Gospel today is echoed in the first reading.  Jesus continues using bread to teach the disciples, and us, to hold on to truth even if that truth is not necessarily comprehendible to us.  In returning to the message on building strong faith, St James reminds us that God does not give us temptations but rather temptation comes from our own desires.  The implicit message here for us is for control.  In order to be good people and good Christians, we must achieve self-mastery over our desires.  The Western culture has been saturated with sexuality and the internet’s ability to provide pornography on demand.  This has led to great difficulties for achieving self-mastery because technology has enabled our desires to be met with relative ease.  However, the Church continues to stand as a moral compass for the people who find their struggles.  We must remember that the Church is made up of many sinners, and, while our sins are very personal, our humility and fraternity will allow us to build each other up in order to be better Christians and to achieve greater holiness. 

The joy of the Gospel is the gift of life which Jesus brings to all who follow him.  While we are forgiven and free in Jesus, this freedom comes from the rejection of sin and the promise of the contrite heart.  We must continually seek each day to renew our hearts through the grace found in the Sacraments.  Confession and the Eucharist are two Sacraments which the Church invites us to frequent.  From my own situation, as the deployed soldier, frequenting the Sacraments is difficult but not impossible.  Self-mastery is even more difficult, but it is not impossible.  The grace of God and love of Jesus Christ are readily available to me, and all of us.  It is our own dispositions that determine whether or not we accept these gifts. 

Building faith is a very personal journey and is also one that is not private.  The Church exists as a community based upon the example of God, himself.  The Trinity is our guide and paradigm for building faith.  Taking time to pray and building a relationship with the Lord is the foundation for friendship with the Lord.  When we come to see the Lord as our brother and our friend, the strength of our faith grows.  May God ever be present to us all and may we extend to the Lord our hearts in pure love and fidelity that God may perfect in us what he has always willed for us.  May we live faithfully and courageously the Gospel joy.  May the world always know that God reigns supreme over all things.  And through the ministry of the Church May God grant us pardon and peace through Christ our Lord.  Amen.