Faith and Its Fruit

Faith is a gift given to us at baptism that enables us to accept invisible realities. For instance if someone says, "How do you know there is a heaven? Do you know anyone who has been there?" Well, you can't answer that. So you say "I believe." There is something within you that gives you that certainty, that assurance. It's a gift.

Today, many think that faith is something within their power. It sends me up a wall when people say, "If you had more faith you could be healed," What is this faith business in their minds? Some kind of magic formula? How do you get more faith? Not by presumption. You're dealing with God. Our petulant demands are not faith, and we are not omnipotent. Making demands on God is not faith, that's a subtle kind of pride, God is not your personal slot machine! Faith breeds a humility that is willing to accept the truth that the Father has revealed to us through His Son Jesus, knowledge that Christ is the Lord, and a deep realization that within the soul dwells the Spirit. When you believe these things about Jesus and know that it comes from His Father, it must bear the fruit of faith. Most people possess the gift of faith, but they don't bear the fruit of that faith. The fruit of faith is to change your life. If you believe Jesus came to save you and give you an example of how to live, then you must live like Him. That's the fruit of faith.

Excerpt from Mother Angelica’s Book “Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality”.