Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 1 March – Thursday of the First Week in Lent – Ezechiel 18:1-9, Matthew 15:21-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of Your eye,
hide me in the shadow of Your wings.”
Psalm 16:8,2
“O woman, great is thy faith!
be it done to thee as thou desire …”
Matthew 15:28
FAITH
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas
“FAITH IS THE BASIS AND FOUNDATION of all the other virtues but particularly of hope and of charity.
Now what I say of charity applies also to all the many virtues associated with it. When charity is united and joined to faith, it vivifies it.
And so it follows that there is a dead faith and a dying faith.
Dead faith is faith separated from charity, a separation which prevents us from performing works, conformable to the faith we profess.
This dead faith is that which many Christians – the worldly – have. Indeed, they believe all the Mysteries of our Holy Religion but since their faith is not accompanied by charity, they perform no good works which conform to their faith.
Dying faith is that which is not entirely separated from charity. It performs some good works, although rarely and feebly, for charity cannot really be in the soul which has faith without performing works, either little or great.
It must either produce or perish because it cannot exist without doing good works.
Just as the soul cannot remain in the body without producing vital actions, so charity cannot be united to our faith, without performing works conforming to it [Gal 5:6; Jas 2:14-26]. It cannot be otherwise.
Therefore, do you want to know if your faith is dead or dying? Examine your works and actions. …
Dead faith resembles a dry tree that has no living substance at all. In springtime when other trees bud forth leaves and flowers, this one brings forth nothing because it does not have sap which those have that are not dead but only dormant.
Now, here is another point. However much all other trees may look like this dead tree in winter, nevertheless, in their season they produce leaves, flowers and fruits. This never happens with the tree that is really dead. It may look like the other trees, to be sure but it is dead, for it never brings forth either flowers or fruit.
Similarly, dead faith may indeed appear to be living faith but with this important difference – it bears neither the flowers nor the fruit of good works, while living faith always bears them,and in all seasons! (Sermon for Thursday after the First Sunday in Lent, 17 February 1622).
AnaStpaul 