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The Enduring Power of Faith, a reflection on ‘Tasting Wisdom’

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Picture of Susan Gopeesingh

Susan Gopeesingh

 I’m reading from the book ‘Tasting Wisdom’ written by Fr Laurence Freeman – A Daily Companion for Meditation’. And I’m going to share a piece and just give you a reflection on it.

“The word faith is often confused with the word belief, but faith is more about relationship. While belief is about how we understand relationship, just as we speak about a faithful marriage or friendship. Faith is relationship in which we endure through good and bad times. Joyful fruits of that endurance appear and are cause for celebration. To say to someone, I will be faithful to you for mm, at least a week won’t do just as planting a tree and expecting it to be fully grown. Overnight, it’s fanciful faith grows. It aspires to the condition of unconditionality in sickness and health. For better or worse, faith is personal commitment, a gift of self that releases hope and eventually inevitably lover.”

Now, when I began my Christian journey, I thought faith was accepting Christ and being born again. And also I thought faith was believing God for this, for that for everything. But when I read these words, faith is more about relationship, while belief is about how we understand relationship. Now the Bible says, faith works by love. So we need faith and love for the relationship. We need faith and love to understand relationship because remember any relationship, whether it’s between a husband and wife, children and parents, friends, brothers,  we’re all not the same. Yeah, and we have our little quirks. 

So faith and love will help us to be steadfast and and go the distance in the relationship.
Susan Gopeesingh
Meditator, Trinidad & Tobago

 

I can give an example of marriage. When I got married, my husband and I didn’t come from the same background. There were challenges at the beginning and the faith that works by love grows the relationship so that instead of me wanting to run, faith and love grounded my relationship and that ground is sacred.

And what I could say is that this July, we are celebrating 48 years of marriage. So those vows in sickness and in hell, for better or for worse, you need faith and you need love because love never fails. And love covers a multitude of ways, the ways that are not pleasing to God.

Love covers it. So faith grows and how does faith grow? With meditation. The pure prayer of the heart, being faithful. Saying your mantra, morning, and evening, that causes an expansion within us. It expands our faith and expands our love so that we can remain faithful and loving to the end in all our relationships.

Thank you.

We are delighted to announce the launch of Tasting Wisdom, a new book by Laurence Freeman. This inspiring resource offers short teachings and images to support your daily meditation, group practice, or retreats.

How to Order Tasting Wisdom

You can purchase the book through the following retailers:

Book launch with Laurence Freeman | 2 September

Come and hear Fr Laurence speak about the book at The Meditatio Centre, London and join us for a period of meditation. Books will be available to purchase and Laurence will sign copies.

The Meditatio Centre St Mark’s, Myddelton Square London EC1R1XX 

On 2nd September | UK Time 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm

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