Necessity of Faith For Salvation

He who wishes to attain a definite end, must above all things know that end and the means to reach it. We were created to be with
God in Heaven.

" Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee." Saint Augustine

Faith is a Divine gift to help us believe in God's revelations. God asks us to believe on His word may sublime truths which our weak
intellect cannot understand. Divine faith means to hold firmly and without doubting, all that God has revealed and through His
Church, proposes for our belief. The mysteries of faith cannot be proved from reason and history, because they are beyond reason
and therefore incomprehensible.

" The divine mysteries by their own nature so far transcend the created intelligence that, even when delivered by Revelation and
received by Faith, they remain covered with a veil of Faith itself, and shrouded in a certain degree of darkness, so long as we are
pilgrims in this mortal life, not yet with God."

Vatican I

In God's infinite goodness and love for His children He has made faith easy for us, if only we show good will. At our Baptism the
Holy Ghost planted a Heavenly seed in our souls, the gift of faith, the power to believe. Faith is a gift from God and an effect of His
grace, which enlightens our understanding and moves our will to believe without doubting all the things that God has revealed.
Without the grace of God we could not believe at all.
       Everyone insists that we believe his word, and feels hurt if we do not. With more right than any man can God demand faith in
His word. If we refuse to believe Him, we really tell Him that He is a deceiver. Our Lord says:

" he that believeth not, shall be condemned" ( Mark 16:16)

and in another place:

" He that doth not believe is already judged" ( John 3,18 ).

and Saint Paul teaches us :

" without faith it is impossible to please God" ( Heb. 11,6 )

When we say faith of course we do not mean any faith, other wise Our Lord would have suffered His Passion for no reason. Nor
could He have threatened with eternal punishment those who do not receive this faith. The faith necessary for eternal salvation can
mean only the faith which Christ, the Son of God, taught mankind. It is this faith, and by no other, we are made partakers of Christ,
and without Christ and His Church, the Roman Catholic Church, there is no salvation.

" For there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved" ( Acts. 4,12 ).

It is therefore a grievous sin to say, or even to think that it does not matter what faith we profess. For this reason we must make
sure we worship the Lord in the true Catholic way, not in an ambiguous way. But even this faith will not save us unless it is universal,
firm, living and constant.

Our faith Must Be Universal

Our faith is universal when we believe not only some but all the truths which God has revealed and which the Catholic Church
proposes to our belief. No one has the liberty to admit and believe only some of the teachings of Christ and His Church and to
reject others. Our Lord says:

"Preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth not shall be condemned" Mark 16,16 ) .

And again He says:

" Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" ( Matt. 28,20 ).

And Saint John writes:

" Whosoever revolteth, and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God . If any man come to you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into the house nor say to him, God speed you." ( 2 John1,9-10 ) .

     We must believe all the truths revealed by God. But that does not mean that each one of us must know all the truths of faith.
There are truths the knowledge of which is not absolutely necessary to salvation, and others which everyone, even the child that has
attained the use of reason, must know in order to be saved.

Our Faith Must Be Firm

Abraham had firm faith. The example is when God promised to make him the father of a great nation, and he did not doubt God's
word even when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. However God told Zachary through the Angel Gabriel: " Thy prayer is
heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son" ( Luke 1,13 ). Zachary answered: " whereby shall I know this? for I am an old
man, and my wife is advanced in years." He hesitated between the truth and its opposite. we say he doubted. Our faith is firm when
we believe without the least doubt. To suppose doubt is to think God can deceive. This is a grave offense against God.

Our Faith Must Be Constant

We need not far to see examples of constant faith. The Holy Martyrs of the Church were tortured, beaten, yet did not waver. They
never lost their faith, even until death. Some were promised riches and honors if they would deny Christ. But the martyrs were
ready to loose all, even life, rather than loose their faith.

Our Faith Must Be Living

God has revealed to us how to live our lives. The morals of life, the things we should do and should not do. For Example: " Thou
shalt honor thy father and mother". What God commands is good and what He forbids is evil. If we do the good He commands and
avoid the evil, we live in the manner our faith prescribes, then our faith is lively, or living. Living up to the faith we profess, that is
performing good works, is the only true proof that our faith is alive. Saint James says:

" As the body without the spirit is dead , so also faith without works is dead". ( James 2,26 )

Faith without good works cannot save us, neither can good works without faith. But it must be remembered that good works, such
as necessary for salvation, can only be performed by one who is possession of sanctifying grace; that is, by one who loves God in
his heart.

" and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity ( that is, love of God, sanctifying grace ), I am
nothing". ( 1 Cor. 13,2 ).

There are many dangers to one's faith:

Pride seems to be the biggest problem for those who have no faith. Excessive reasoning on the mysteries of our faith. Neglect of
prayer and other religious duties. Leading a wicked life is also a danger. Many today refuse to give up their evil ways and therefore
reject God's Church and faith in Him. Mixed marriages and I can go on. I end this with a quote from Saint Thomas Aquinas:

"Unbelief, in so far as it is a sin, arises from pride, through which man is unwilling to subject his intellect to the rules of faith, and to
the sound interpretation of the Fathers. Hence Gregory says (Moral. xxxi, 45) that "presumptuous innovations arise from vainglory."

Summa Question 10 Article 1

I pray that everyone cooperate with grace and receive the faith of Christ , firm, living , constant and universal.