To increase faith in the Catholic sense means to nourish a grace from God and cooperate with it—so that belief becomes a living, growing relationship with the Lord. The Catechism teaches that faith is “an entirely free gift” and yet we must “nourish it with the word of God,” beg the Lord to increase it, and let it grow by being “working through charity.”
Begin with what the Church says is essential
Nourish faith with God’s Word
Faith grows by being fed by the word of God. The Catechism explicitly says: to live, grow, and persevere we must “nourish it with the word of God.”
Ask the Lord to increase it
Faith increases not just by willpower but by prayer. The Catechism says we must “beg the Lord to increase our faith.”
Pope Francis also highlights that the disciples’ request—“Increase our faith!”—is a good question, a prayer we can direct to the Lord each day.
Let faith “work through charity”
Faith is not meant to stay as private theory; it “must be ‘working through charity,’ abounding in hope.”
Pope Francis further links faith and service as inseparable: faith must be interwoven with service (the “weft of faith” and the “warp of service”) so it stays alive and grows.
Keep faith safe from what weakens it
The Catechism warns that the first commandment requires us to “nourish and protect our faith” with vigilance, rejecting what opposes it.
It distinguishes kinds of doubt: voluntary doubt (a deliberate refusal to hold as true what God has revealed) and deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to “spiritual blindness.”
Grow faith through a living, practical “journey”
Pope Francis describes faith as a continuous journey: without constant dialogue with the Lord, attentive listening to his word, and perseverance, faith “cannot grow.”
He also emphasizes that faith is not meant to be enclosed inside church walls, but to be lived in daily life.
Likewise, Pope Francis teaches that faith increases by giving and taking practical steps—faith advances with “humble and practical steps” and growing love and patience “each day,” along with constant prayer.
Use the sacraments and worship
The Catechism teaches that the Holy Spirit prepares people for the sacraments through the Word and faith that welcomes it, and that the sacraments strengthen faith (and express it).
Pope Francis also points to the “wonder of worship” as a key convergence point for faith’s journey: after the Magi’s long searching, what matters is that they kneel, worship, and offer homage.
A concrete way to begin this week
A simple Catholic practice consistent with these teachings is:
- Daily: read a portion of Scripture and bring it to prayer (faith nourished by God’s Word).
- Daily: ask the Lord sincerely to increase your faith (faith grows by grace begged for).
- Every day: choose one concrete act of charity/service (faith working through charity; faith interwoven with service).
- Regularly: receive the sacraments and make time for worship (sacraments strengthen faith; worship gathers the journey).
Faith increases when you keep returning—again and again—to God in His Word, in prayer, in worship, and in lived charity.