Fridays - Spiritual Healing
What is Faith?
January 12, 2018
What is Faith?
"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." - St. Augustine
What is Faith? “It is the confident assurance that God’s Will and Purpose for us will happen. It is the certainty that Our Purpose in this realm is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” -Neale Donald Walsh
“In a word, to me a kind of trust in the unknown is called faith— faith that the sun will rise tomorrow (and you along with it); faith that gravity will hold you to the Earth; faith that the spinning molecules that make up your body will not spin out of control and leave you; faith that your heart will keep beating and your lungs will keep you breathing; (and with some practice) faith that you are, and always will be, provided for; faith in the abundance and harmony of all your affairs; and ultimately, faith that your dreams will come true.” - Mike Dooley
Marianne Williamson, in her book, “Return to Love,” on Faith:
“What if we truly believed there is a God – a beneficent order to things, a force that’s holding things together without our conscious control?
You and I are integral parts of that system, too. We can let our lives be directed by the same force that makes flowers grow – or we can do it ourselves. To trust in the force that moves the universe is faith. Faith isn’t blind, it’s visionary. Faith believes that the universe is on our side, and that the universe knows what it’s doing.
Without faith, we’re frantically trying to control what it is not our business to control, and fix what it is not in our power to fix. Violation of these laws doesn’t bespeak a lack of goodness; just a lack of intelligence.
Faith is an aspect of consciousness. We either have faith in fear or we have faith in love, faith in the power of the world or faith in the power of God.
Faith is beyond your words, beyond your thinking. Faith arises from the very core of your being.”
From Matthew 17:20: Jesus said to his apostles: “ For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
In the Gospel, according to Spiritism:
The Power of Faith
Another acceptance of the term gives us to understand that faith is the confidence we have in the realization of something, and the certainty of attaining a specific end. It gives us a kind of lucidness which permits us to see, in thought, the goal we wish to reach and the means of getting there, so that those who have faith go forward, in a manner of speaking, with absolute security. In either one of these cases, it can give place to the realization of great things.
Faith which is real and sincere is always calm; it permits patience which knows how to wait, because having its foundation in intelligence and the understanding of life, it is certain of reaching the objective it aspires to.
It behooves us not to confuse faith with presumption. True faith is linked to humility; those who have it, deposit more confidence in God than in themselves, as they know they are but simple instruments of Divine Purpose and can do nothing without God.
Faith, The Mother of Hope and Charity
In order to be profitable, faith must be active; it must not become numb. Mother of all the virtues which lead to God, it has a duty to attentively keep watch over the development of the children it generates. Hope and charity are inferences of faith and all three together form an inseparable trinity. Is it not faith which helps us to have hope in the realization of God's promises?
If there was no faith what would there be to hope for? Is it not faith which gives love? If you do not have faith, what would be your worth and what quality would your love have? Faith, that divine inspiration which awakens all those noble instincts which lead Man towards goodness, is the base of all regeneration. Therefore, it is necessary that this base be strong and durable, as even the smallest doubt will cause it to shake, and what then of the edifice constructed upon it? Consequently, this edifice must be raised upon immovable foundations. Your faith must be stronger than the sophisms and mockery of the disbelieving, seeing that faith which cannot stand up to ridicule is not true faith.
Sincere faith is gripping and contagious; it communicates itself to those who have none or who do not even desire it. It finds persuasive words which touch the soul, whereas apparent faith only uses high sounding words which leave those who hear cold and indifferent. Preach through the example of your faith, so as to transmit it to mankind. Preach through the example of your works, so as to demonstrate the merit of faith. Preach through the firmness of your hope, so they may see the confidence which fortifies and puts one in condition to confront all life's fluctuations.
So then, have faith with all that it contains of beauty and goodness, with its pureness and rationality. Do not accept a faith that cannot be substantiated. Love God knowing why you love Him. Believe in His promises knowing why you believe in them. Follow our counsel convinced of the end to which we direct you and the ways by which we take you in order to achieve it. Believe and wait without losing heart; miracles are the works of faith - JOSEPH, a Protecting Spirit (Bordeaux, 1862).
A time dedicated to our Spiritual and Physical balance and harmony. Everyone is welcome. No previous experience with any spiritual teaching is needed. This meeting is recommended as a “Spiritual Support” to help all of us face our challenges and overcome them with balance and wisdom.
We hope to see you soon at
Spiritist Society Towards the Light.
