“Faith is increased through prayer...We ask God to increase our Faith, not so that we can do miracles, but to love Him all the more.”

- St Paisios Spiritual Struggle V. 2,  pg 299. 

Reflection: 

Is our Faith as strong as it should be? 

Our Faith is our: relationship with God, love for God and neighbor(1), trust in God, our unity with Him. 

Increasing our prayer [both personal and worship at Church] increases our Faith, love, and trust in God.  When our love for God has increased, so will our love for neighbor.  When we love God and neighbor, other parts of our life begin to fall into place. 

Sometimes it is difficult to love our neighbor when they are not kind or when they believe very different things than ourselves. 

Loving our neighbor does not mean agreeing with or supporting every thought, word, or action they take. It means recognizing the image of God in them and treating them with respect and kindness each of us deserve as children of God. 

Loving our neighbor means being a loving presence for them, showing them that the doors to the Church, the path back home to Christ, is always open. 

Let us increase our prayer, so that we may increase our trust and love for God. We will then be a welcoming presence back to Christ, and our lives will increase in purpose, peacefulness, and inner joy.

Resources:

1) Matthew 12:30-31

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”