Do You Believe This?

Meditating on Anna's witness in the temple, Tami Urcia reflects on the importance of faith in our daily lives and asks God to increase our faith.

The Importance of Faith  

Lately I have been reflecting on the importance of faith in our lives. We can read the Gospels and think they sound legit, or listen to Father at Sunday Mass and try to take what he says to heart, but how deep does our faith run? Do we truly comprehend the fact that Jesus and His disciples, and all the saints that have gone before us were living and breathing human beings, or do we think of them more as nice stories with good life lessons?  

Although I consider myself a strong cradle Catholic, I have to confess that I often tend toward the latter. It is hard for me to visualize talking to Jesus in my heart as He is, truly present in my midst. It seems “easier” somehow to think of Him as a being way up there in an outer space Heaven who somehow hears my prayers. I remember hearing once that often the longest journey is the road from our head to our heart. That rings true for me.  

Faith As Seen in Today’s Scripture Passages  

So here we are, a few days after celebrating the incredible feast of the Birth of our Lord and I feel called to boldly pose the same question Jesus asked Mary, the sister of Lazarus: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). Do you believe that Jesus was born in an outbuilding on the outskirts of Bethlehem? Do you believe that the angels appeared to the humble shepherds and invited them to be His first visitors? Do you believe that the educated and wealthy Magi were led to travel a long distance to honor Him? Do you believe that this tiny Baby is the Son of God, a living and breathing soul that walked this Earth?  

Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse of the Presentation in the Temple. We see Anna enter the scene, an elderly woman who “worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” As she came forward, I have no doubt she would answer, “Yes, I believe” to all of the above questions. The passage does not record any conversations that took place between Anna and Mary. She does not receive verbal confirmation of who this Child was. She simply “gave thanks to God” and began spreading the Good News about Him to others.  

Believing Without Seeing  

Granted, we have it a little bit harder than Anna, being asked to have faith without seeing a baby boy before our very eyes, yet God has granted us the Holy Spirit that we might believe. Let us ask God for that grace today, the grace of an increase in faith. May He grant us the deep understanding that we are talking to a real Person when we pray, Someone Who loves us and knows us so deeply.   

Lord, I believe in you. Help my unbelief! 

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Copyright 2025 Tami Urcia
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