Pope invites to transform the world through artPope Francis continued this Wednesday with his catechesis on the virtues. In this case, he focused on the virtue of faith: "Like charity and hope, this virtue is called 'theological' because we can only live it thanks to the gift of God. The three theological virtues are the great gifts that God gives to our moral capacity. Without them, we could be prudent, just, strong and temperate, but we would not have eyes that see even in the dark, we would not have a heart that loves even when it is not loved, we would not have a hope that dares against all hope".
The Holy Father then defined faith and gave examples of people who have lived it, beginning with our father in faith, Abraham, and continuing with Moses and the Virgin Mary: "In this faith, Abraham was our great father. When he agreed to leave the land of his ancestors to go to the land that God would show him, he was probably judged crazy: why leave the known for the unknown, the certain for the uncertain? But Abraham sets out on his journey, as if he sees the invisible. And it is still the invisible that makes him go up the mountain with his son Isaac, the only son of the promise, who only at the last moment will be spared the sacrifice. With this faith, Abraham becomes the father of a long line of children. Moses was also a man of faith, who, accepting the voice of God even when more than one doubt could assail him, remained steadfast in trusting in the Lord, and even defended the people who so often lacked faith. A woman of faith would be the Virgin Mary, who, on receiving the Angel's announcement, which many would have dismissed as too demanding and risky, responded: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). With a heart full of trust in God, Mary sets out on a path of which she knows neither the route nor the dangers.
Citing the Gospel of the calm storm, the Pope pointed out the main enemy of faith: "Not intelligence, not reason, as unfortunately some people continue to repeat obsessively, but simply fear. For this reason, faith is the first gift to be welcomed in the Christian life: a gift that we must welcome and ask for every day, so that it may be renewed in us. Apparently it is a small gift, but it is the essential one". In fact, Francis pointed out, on the day of baptism, the priest asks parents, "What do you ask of the Church of God?", to which they reply, "Faith, baptism". "For a Christian parent, aware of the grace that has been given to him, that is the gift that he must also ask for his child: faith. With it, a father knows that, even in the midst of life's trials, his child will not drown in fear. He also knows that, when he no longer has a father on this earth, he will still have God the Father in heaven, who will never abandon him. Our love is fragile, only God's love conquers death," the Pope continued.
At the end, the Pope invited all those present to say: "Lord, increase our faith".
At the end of the audience, the Holy Father did not forget to ask for prayers for peace, recalling the wars in Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and the Rohingya in Myanmar, as well as the victims of the floods in Kenya.
He also asked for the intercession of St. Joseph the Worker to increase our faith.
