What powerful stories are in this week’s Gospel. Two women are at the center of profound healing. One tries to stay under the radar, falling at Jesus’ feet to touch the hem of his garment. Another, younger woman is instead the center of attention, of wailing and commotion. 

What ties them together is faith. “Daughter, your faith has saved you” Jesus says in the first incident. “Do not be afraid; just have faith” in the other. 

However, faith in God is not only about asking for help and healing in times of trouble. It’s a deep bond with the Creator that influences our entire existence and identity. Our faith instructs us that faith is a divine gift, not a human action. Faith is one of the three theological virtues we receive at baptism: faith, hope, and charity. It’s more than just belief; faith is a personal commitment to God and acceptance of His revelation. Here’s what the Catechism teaches us in paragraph 150:

Faith is primarily a personal commitment of man to God. Simultaneously and inseparably, it is a free agreement to the complete truth that God has revealed. As a personal commitment to God and agreement to His truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human being. It is right and just to fully trust in God and to absolutely believe what He says. It would be pointless and false to place such faith in a creature.

We should and do call on God in times of distress, but not only then. Faith involves trust, surrender, and cooperation with God’s grace. It means accepting God’s will, even when it doesn’t match our desires or expectations. Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will, not ours, to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Faith isn’t reserved for crises but is lived out every day. St. Paul wrote to the Romans: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

All things, not just emergencies or crises, but everyday things such as making moral judgments, choosing the right over the wrong, making someone laugh, responding with love and service to others, living generously, and respecting others because of their inherent dignity given by God.

That’s a lot! No wonder St. Augustine once exclaimed, “Please God, make me good, but not just yet!” We shouldn’t believe or complain that faith ‘demands’ all these things from us. On the contrary, faith is the gift of God that makes all these things work together for good. We give thanks to God for the gift of faith, and the gift to live that faith in all things.