Day 31: The Meaning of Faith (222-231)

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in heaven, we thank you so much. Thank you for this day. We thank you for revealing yourself to us as the God who is, the God who is Truth, the God who is love, and the God whom we can trust with our whole being, we can entrust everything we are, we can entrust everything we have, everything we've done, everything we will do. We can entrust our past to you. We can entrust our future to you. In this moment, Lord God, we entrust our present to you. We entrust this present moment. With the hearts that are inside our chests, we give them to you, because you are absolutely– you're the only one who is absolutely trustworthy. And so we absolutely trust you in this moment. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen”

Scripture References & Reflections

- compiled by Andrew Adamany


Bible Translation - RSVCE


CCC 222 "Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life."


CCC 223 "It means coming to know God's greatness and majesty.  Therefore, we must "serve God first."


Job 36:26 

"Behold, God is great, and we know him not; 

the number of his years is unsearchable."



CCC 224 "It means living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him"


1 Corinthians 4:6–7 

"I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?"


Psalm 116:12–19 

"What shall I render to the Lord 

for all his bounty to me? 

I will lift up the cup of salvation 

and call on the name of the Lord, 

I will pay my vows to the Lord 

in the presence of all his people. 

Precious in the sight of the Lord 

is the death of his saints. 

O Lord, I am thy servant; 

I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid. 

Thou hast loosed my bonds. 

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving 

and call on the name of the Lord. 

I will pay my vows to the Lord 

in the presence of all his people, 

in the courts of the house of the Lord, 

in your midst, O Jerusalem. 

Praise the Lord!"


CCC 225 "It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: everyone is made in the image and likeness of God."


Genesis 1:26–27 

"Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."



CCC 226 "It means making good use of created things: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him"


Matthew 5:29–30 

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."


Matthew 16:24–27 

"Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done."


CCC 227 "It means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity."


1 Peter 2:18–25 

"Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing. For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."