Church of the
Annunciation

“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” The question of Jesus causes us to wonder about our faith. Is faith a mere recitation of the creed and knowledge of the teaching of the Church? Or is faith far deeper and richer? Faith is an attitude of trust in God and an active living our belief and values. Jesus finds faith in unexpected places and persons. Last Sunday in the Gospel according to St. Luke, Jesus heals 10 lepers but only one of the ten comes back praising God and thanking Jesus. He is a Samaritan – a foreigner perceived to be lacking in faith! Jesus says to him: “Be on your way. Your faith has saved you.” It seems his faith finds expression glorifying God and expressing gratitude! As many know I just returned with my nephew John Paul from Istanbul, Turkey. Our Moslem guide gave us something to measure faith. We had toured the ancient ruins of a hospital (Asclepion at Pergamon) and a library (Ephesus). Someone asked about water faucets near the road. Ayden explained the simple fountains are good works of Turkish people who provide water for travelers. Without preaching or proselytizing, he said we believe that when a person dies, the book of life does not close -- if you have raised a family well; if you have done good work in your community (like establishing hospitals/libraries and offering fresh water to passersby; and if you were a teacher. (He was not speaking of teaching so much as a profession but as an attribute of sharing wisdom and encouraging learning.) Those who live their faith can hope in God’s mercy. I found our tour director Ayden to be a man of faith. He knew more about our Bible and Christian faith than sadly I do about the Koran and the Muslim faith. As I found faith in him, may Jesus, coming as the Son of Man, find faith in us.