Faith Incarnate!

1 John 2:4
He who says “I know Him” but disobeys His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

There is a notion afoot these days that we can have something called “faith” in chemical purity apart from incarnate works of love done in obedience.  According to such notions, having faith in Christ apart from obedience to Him can save you.  But for John, to know Christ is, quite simply, to obey Christ.  Likewise, St. Paul tells us that if we have faith so as to move mountains, but not love, we are nothing.  Faith is incarnate in works of love just as the Word is incarnate in Christ Jesus.  Trying to separate the faith from the deeds of love makes as much sense to the authors of Scripture as trying to saw Jesus’ human and divine natures apart.  Today let your faith be incarnate in works of love.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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