The Catechism of the Catholic Church we learned as kids says that:
“Faith is a supernatural gift of God which enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed.”
It sounds simple enough, but faith is bigger than that. Faith is an “enabling” gift. A gift that opens our eyes to “see.”
It is more powerful than simply believing. It is about sight. Seeing the new world that Jesus is creating by his death and resurrection. Seeing the Church in her glory, on earth, and in heaven. Witnessing what many saints saw that made them break into song. It is a supernatural gift from God himself and a mark of predestination. So faith is an enabling gift from God that opens our eyes to see. So when we walk into the Church, we actually “see” Jesus seated in his glory in the Eucharist. This has nothing to do with having a temporary vision of Jesus, but more of a permanent “vision”, with the eyes of faith that makes you act and live as a person who sees Jesus in the world.
One time a prayer group was in the habit of praying loudly behind the Church; this was an issue for our Parish priest, who, after many attempts, failed to get them to stop.
One time I was speaking with them, and I asked them: “where is Jesus,” and after many attempts, one of them said, “In the Eucharist.” Then I asked them, “If you have faith, and you believe Jesus is in the Eucharist, then why do you genuflect poorly and hurry behind the Church to scream for Jesus to come down again?”. Everyone saw the ridiculousness and laughed.
It is like you believe but not strongly that your life does not change at all. But if your faith is strong, it will open a new layer with which to see the world clearly. It is like wearing an AR headset (this is a horrible example, BTW), enabling you to see “more” than your ordinary eyes can. The difference is: that AR doesn’t allow us to see “real” things, but faith does.
So, you change because you see Jesus in everyone and everything. It helps you treat people better, love more, and see Jesus in the weak and needy. Faith, hope, and charity are linked together to the point they cannot be separated from each other.
Watch the video below for more: