How does God work ? Part II

in many places Holy Scripture tells of people who believed and who acted in faith. That is why God could work in their lives and act through them. Let us reflect on one example of faith-filled action. Mark reports that four men brought a paralytic to Jesus (cf. Mk 2:1-12). It is assumed that Jesus was at Peter’s house in Capernaum. A large crowd was gathered in front of the house. It was not possible to bring the paralytic directly to Jesus. But these four men were filled with a firm and courageous faith. Therefore they took an unusual initiative, they climbed up and opened the roof. Through the hole they let down the mat. Now the paralytic was in front of Jesus. The four men did not stop at a “relative truth” (Mother Julia), a half truth. They did not say to each other: we cannot get near Jesus, let’s go home. Probably some people thought: Why do these men jump the queue? Why can’t they wait patiently like us? The faith of these men was appreciated by Jesus “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man: My son, your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5). Then He said to the paralytic: “Stand up! Pick up your mat, and go home” (Mk 2:11). The paralytic received a twofold healing: the healing of his body and the healing of his soul. He could walk again and was forgiven his sin.

Where there is faith, God is at work. There He gives life and resur­rection. Supernatural faith is no mere feeling, it is a firm con­viction: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). The person who believes does not lose his foot­hold. He does not doubt when he does not receive immediately what he asked for. The believer is active. He takes steps, his faith be­comes manifest in deeds. The psalmist prays: “With you I can break through any barrier, with my God I can scale any wall” (Ps 18:30). The believer leaps over walls: over the walls of his thoughts and feelings, over the walls of obstacles, anxieties, negative experiences and all sorts of difficulties. When God calls, there are inevitably obstacles for man, there are the human ifs and buts. If we, however, let go of these ifs and buts and do what God tells us and what the Holy Spirit urges us to, miracles can happen. That is why Jesus says “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mk 9:23), and in another passage “Your faith has made you well” (Mt 9:22). Jesus had concerns that this faith would disappear from the world and only a merely human religiosity would remain. Therefore He asked: “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8). Where people believe, God can work. Where there is no faith, He stands as it were powerlessly before human freedom in which man closes himself up. For this reason, Jesus prayed for the faith of Peter and the disciples. Mother Julia said: “We must do the faith, simply do the faith”. Religious emotions, fascination with words, edifying conversations and deep insights are necessary, but they are not everything. Even more important is the readiness to do what God expects of us “here, now and today” (Mother Julia).