1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. Abel, Enoch, and Noah 5 By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith. (Hebrews 11:1-7)

In the liturgy of The Mass at a Catholic Church – here liturgy means the form or running-order of how public worship is conducted – there is found the name of Abraham. Abraham is called “Our Father in faith” and just before that Abel of Genesis’ “Cain and Abel” is named. To refresh your memory, God accepted Abel’s offering of the work of his labour, which as a keeper of sheep was the firstlings of his flock (“the fat of the land”) while Cain’s was, by comparison, held less favourably. Cain a tiller of the land, in his envy spilt the blood of his brother upon it, and this is the Bible’s first murder. It is worth remembering that in Catholic worship Abel is held up for his faith. In the first human family on Earth, marred by a murder, Catholic worship tracks back to indicate the first man of faith. The sacrifice of Abel’s was at greater cost to him personally and this is the character of sacrifice that makes it pleasing to God.

St. Paul follows with two other Old Testament characters, characters who would be very alive to those who read his letters because for scripture “Old” did not apply then. Enoch, very much a figure of mystical speculation, since he was believed to enter heaven without dying, is considered a foreshadowing of Jesus, as receiving eternal life in this life (union with God) as the reward for faith that pleases. Finally Noah, who in building the Ark was not afraid to serve as a warning to his generation of impending judgement. What starts with Abel, is followed by Enoch and Noah, is brought to fruition in Abraham who starts salvation history by leaving his homeland for a land that was not yet his, and finally concludes with Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went.30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32)

Jesus’ parable emphasises what is implicit in Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews. In this letter, written for first century Jewish Christians, Hebrews 11 functions as a re-cap for those Jews who were already had understanding that faith was dynamic, it came in the form of deeds rather than simply as beliefs. But this is not so obvious to today’s Christian audience. The section reinforces the point that Jesus’s himself makes in the parable of the two sons (above). Jesus repeats in a parable, to a greater effect, what his forerunner John The Baptist meant by “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Apostle James echoes the importance of doing: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). And finally the words of Jesus again,

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man…” (Matthew 7:24)