"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for"... (Heb 1-7) In other words, faith is what is hoped for, but not necessarily asked, received, or seen by us immediately. But in the midst of struggles we may often be tempted to cry out to God "Why me?" "Why this struggle?"

Many times if it weren't for the struggle we may never have grown or changed in a way that has allowed us to use the gifts and talents given to us by God. When we live our lives with faith in God's plans we come to realize that God's plans, in the end, do work out for the best!

Faith, is a concept that many people struggle with daily. And it is faith that has carried us through some difficult experiences. Faith can be taught by example and sometimes by simple explanations. A student recently explained faith to me in this example. He said, "When you are a child and become ill in the middle of the night you call out for your mother with the belief (faith) that she will come to check on you." As a child you believe that your mother will come and ease your suffering, thus a faith experience. Just as a mother will check on an ill child, God checks on us if only we call out for God's comfort, guidance, and loving care.

We see this happening to us as we proclaim Jesus by the way we live our lives. And so Psalm 145:4-5 proclaims that "One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works." And in the Gospel, Peter, James and John "no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them," (Mk 9:8)