Faith and Prayer

In the post Authority and Prayer, I quoted from the book Catch Me a Rainbow Too, which is the study guide for my SFO formation program.

At the end of every chapter is a reference to scripture.  The current chapter points toward Romans, Chapter 10. Verse 17 reads as follows:

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

And, switching to my own words, the word of Christ, in its purest form, is found within the Gospels.

If Faith is dependent on hearing the message, and if the message is heard through the word of Christ, and if the word of Christ is given to us directly in the Gospels, then, if faith is important to me, I must immerse myself in the Gospels in order to maximize my faith.

That immersion, necessarily, comes through a committed and steady prayer life.  I discover the Word within the Gospels, in all its depth and glory, by contemplating Him in prayer.  I also rely on prayer as my avenue to invoke the Holy Spirit, who acts as my advocate with God and Christ, obtaining for me the Grace that allows me to absorb the Word, and bring it to bear in my everyday life.

Chapter Two of the SFO Rule includes this statement:

The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.

Christ, the gift of the Father’s love, is the way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us, and the life which he has come to give abundantly.

Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to gospel.

How loved am I by God, that He would grant a sinner like me, enough grace, understanding, and strength, that I can commit myself to the quest of working my way through the Gospels in this forum?

Is that not astonishing?