Today, we are confronted with a disturbing reality called "doubt": doubt about our existence, about our survival and above all doubt about what will happen next. This phenomenon which opposes the virtue of faith or hope in God is quite challenging as we keep on journeying along this ephemeral existence.
Biblically, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Here, faith means: Assurance that is inner confidence in God’s promises.
- Conviction - certainty about spiritual realities.
- Hope - trust directed toward God’s future fulfilment.
Faith is therefore a personal relationship of trust rather than merely an intellectual idea.
In our heart-to-heart conversation (reflection) with God, this vice called "doubt" is at the centre. It is against this backdrop that today's table of the Word gently confronts a deep human tendency: "our desire to see before we believe."
In the Gospel pericope, the Pharisees approach Jesus asking for a sign from heaven. But instead of granting their request, Jesus sighs deeply in His spirit and refuses (Mark 8:11–13).
This sigh of Jesus is touching. It reveals the pain of God when the human heart closes itself, not because of a lack of evidence, but because of a lack of trust. They had already witnessed miracles, healings, and compassion, yet they still demanded more proof. Faith had become negotiation instead of a relationship. Our attitude towards God's unfathomable mercy provokes questions like this: How often Lord, do we do the same?
- “Lord, if You answer this prayer, then I will believe.”
- “Show me a sign, then I will trust You.”
Yet love cannot flourish where there is constant testing.
However, St. James in the first reading presents a strikingly different understanding of faith. Trials, he says, are not signs of God’s absence but occasions for growth:
“Consider it pure joy… when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2–3)
While the Pharisees ask for signs, James teaches believers to find God within the struggle itself. Faith matures not through spectacular miracles but through endurance, humility, and trust.
James also reminds the rich and the poor alike that earthly status fades like the flower of the field (James 1:10–11). What remains is steadfast faith rooted in God.
Sometimes God does not give signs because He has already given Himself. That is why Jesus refuses the Pharisees not out of anger but sorrow. He longs for hearts that recognize His presence without demanding constant proofs. God often speaks quietly through the daily provision of bread, unnoticed protection granted us, above all ordinary graces showered upon every one of us.
Dearest friends in Christ Jesus, there are moments in life when heaven seems silent. Yet silence does not mean absence. The sigh of Jesus reminds us that God feels our struggles deeply, even when He appears quiet. Let us not forget His continuous and ever-abiding presence.
Finally, keeping in mind our Lord's exhortation to His disciples that if their faith is as big as a mustard seed they will ask the mountain to move, and this will happen. Let us therefore fan our trust in God into flame, even if we are not seeing for where reason stops faith begins there.
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