In differing ways the Collect for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, the Epistle from Galatians 5:16-24, and the Gospel from St. Luke 17:11-19 all highlight the connection between divine grace and human faith and works. In our corrupted condition, we human beings constantly seem to lose our spiritual and moral balance, We tend to forget that everything in our lives depends on the primacy of God's grace. And in considering the human response to divine grace, we tend to focus exclusively either on faith or on works.
Living faith in Jesus Christ needs to be our first response to grace. Living faith is both a list of beliefs and an attitude of trust. It is also an openness to letting divine grace work. But although faith is our first response to grace, it does not remain alone. True faith bears fruit. It brings hope and love, and faith, hope, and love are expressed through deeds. We renounce and avoid evil actions, and we pursue good actions. For Christians, this process is never complete as long as we are in this world. We often fail, but we repent, seek further grace, renew our faith, and continue to respond with good works,
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