“For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith” (Romans 1: 16-17).

Saint Paul gives here a summary of the Gospel: “The just man liveth by faith.” He reminds us in a few words how faith comes from God. It is not a natural belief, coming from men’s inventions, views, feelings… It is a gift from the power of God that men must receive and assume.

Faith is for all men; the universality of the revelation is recalled here also. It is for the Jew and the Gentile: “Outside of the Church there is no salvation.”

But above all, and as a logical consequence, it is by faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected that we must live. Faith, in other words, cannot remain a dead letter. It must direct our lives, our thinking, and our actions. To possess God we must believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ and let the Faith animate every aspect of our lives.

It is so true that an inert faith, a faith without consequences, can even lead us away from God. It can become an obstacle to our union with God, an excuse for our unfaithfulness. In other words, we are inexcusable if, having received the gift of Faith, we do not live accordingly by a life of prayer, a life of sacrifice, of virtue, of faithfulness to our duties of state, and so forth.

Without the Faith there is no God, no holiness, no hope. With Faith comes everything: truth, holiness, hope. What else could we preach?

In Christ the King,

Fr. Arnaud Rostand,

Publisher