Faith is?
Faith requires work
But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe - and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren?
Something to think about
Even the demons believe, we are told. But belief is not enough.
Just as we might consider what we have faith in, we might also ask what faith is. Because it would appear that belief in correct doctrine – belief with our heads – is not enough. Faith, it would appear, is something different.
Faith requires works; it requires us to engage more than just our heads. Faith requires us to love, and to live in relationship. Faith without works is barren; it is our works that will truly reveal our faith.
As the world becomes smaller, living in relationship does not become any easier. We are called to live in relationship with people we do not know and will never meet.
We might reflect on how these words impact on our prayer life. When prayer seems to be the only offering we can make to the suffering of the world, is there some way that we can creatively undergird our prayers with action?