Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Certitude of Faith

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Certitude of Faith

From Catholic Daily Reflections by My Catholic Life!

July 19, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the nature of faith and the significance of believing in Jesus beyond mere signs and miracles.

Read Online The Certitude of Faith Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Matthew 12:38–39 Imagine if Jesus had responded differently to the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Yes, I will perform a sign right now. Whatever you ask of Me, I will do.” Suppose they then asked Him to part the Sea of Galilee—just as Moses parted the Red Sea—and walk through on dry land, and Jesus fulfilled their request. Would that have been enough for them? Most likely not. The problem was not a lack of miracles, or even dramatic ones. The real issue was the hardness of their hearts, which closed them off to the transforming and supernatural gift of faith. Had Jesus done this, they might have been temporarily impressed. They might even have professed belief that He was the Messiah and the Son of God—but not through faith. And there lies the deeper problem. Believing in Jesus’ divinity solely because of witnessing a miracle requires no faith. They would have seen the proof with their eyes but not received it…

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Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Matthew 12:38–39

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