Daily Meditation: Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Faith - do not confuse Faith and belief

04/21/2004

You must not confuse faith and belief. Unfortunately, the majority of those who claim to have faith make this mistake, because it is possible to have beliefs and even religious beliefs, and yet to lack real faith! So, what are the criteria? We can say that one who has faith knows how to select the best seeds and to sow them in his soul: gradually he sees magnificent trees begin to grow, and from these trees he will harvest delicious fruits. We cannot help but notice that someone who harvests nothing, or only thistles and thorns, has not yet become a good sower, a true believer. We need infallible criteria with which to understand the difference between faith and belief. The first criterion of faith is that it improves a human being; it makes him more stable, more harmonious, and more caring of others. And it is a process which must continue developing in him, like a tree which never stops growing. And then, as in the parable of the mustard seed, the birds of heaven – that is to say the virtues and luminous entities – will come to dwell in his branches.