Friday of the First Week of Advent
“Do you believe? … Yes, Lord. … Let it be done for you according to your faith.” It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Jesus tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains—literally. He repeats this truth again and again. Look back at his miraculous healings: the hemorrhaging woman is told that her faith has healed her; the paralytic lowered through the roof is healed not because of his own faith but because of the faith of his friends. Again and again, Scripture shows us the power of faith.
And yet, when we pause and examine our own faith, we find how easily it wavers. Think of the biggest problem in your life. If you place it in the hands of Jesus, he can transform it. But inside our minds, it rarely feels straightforward.
Do you believe?
Yes, Lord … I think so … I want to … but there are so many questions, so many things I don’t understand. If only you could give me a sign—or maybe complete the healing first, so I know it’s real. Then I promise I’ll believe without hesitation.
A simple yes-or-no question, and we respond with conditions, explanations, escape hatches. We offer Jesus caveats as though we are the ones in charge. But we aren’t. And that surrender—that leap of trust—is the very heart of faith and the part we often find most difficult.
The good news is this: you are not alone. Every one of us struggles to walk the path we know Jesus desires for us. Even the saints we admire—those we confidently trust are in heaven—wrestled with their own weaknesses. Our beloved patron, St. Thomas More, wore a hairshirt—a cilice—beneath his clothing as an act of humility and penance. Even he needed constant reminders to become the man Jesus was calling him to be.
And so do we.
As you reflect on today’s readings, allow yourself to stand in solidarity with every other believer who is trying, stumbling, getting back up, and trying again. Let the faith you have—even if it feels small—be enough for today. Keep choosing trust. Keep working on your relationship with Christ. And remember that in this shared struggle, we build one another up as we grow together in faith.
