Celine Dion - Ave Maria (F. Schubert, J.S. Bach, C. Gounod, Sir Walter Scott) ~ Erwin Lazaro 052

Faith.

Is Faith innate, born into every person, as breath naturally fuels the body?  Or, is Faith learned by experience, throughout the course of life?  I believe that Faith is innate and life experiences can either destroy, or nurture, that Faith.  Like Hope, Faith is not tangible.  Like Hope, Faith is Powerful.  Faith is Hope, but even more Outstanding!  The difference between Faith and Hope is that, where Hope is the Power in all of us that desires ... with anticipation, Faith is NOT fueled by the desire of anticipation and Faith is even more influential.  In fact, Faith will NEVER be realized.  What does that mean?  'Faith never being realized' means that a person will live an entire lifetime believing with Great Faith, empowered by that Great Faith, fulfilling many dreams come true because of that Unwavering Faith, and yet, will NEVER grasp that Faith, or be able to define that Faith.  Through Faith, many efforts will reap Great Success!  How does that work?  The person who is always seeking to hold a tangible article within their grasp will NEVER grasp Faith.  The person who needs proof of its existence before having Faith will NEVER harvest the crops born from the efforts guided by Faith.  The person who wants to own a measure of Faith before truly investing in the power that Faith offers, will NEVER understand the true Power of Faith. Curious to know when Faith bestows EVERYTHING desired by having Faith?  It's simple.  Let it go. Set it free.  And this is the hardest act of all; to set something free and trust that giving freely will reap the Greatest Rewards!  Awwww, the crux of it all!  If Faith guides every action without considering Faith as the guide; success will become CERTAIN.

Let me provide an example.  I'll use music, though this scenario can be adapted for ANY skill.  Skill implies that great effort and time has been dedicated to a specific activity.  "Practice makes perfect"; or, in the direction of "Perfect"; anyway.  During practice, analysis is critical in order to improve on previous efforts.  I believe it's important to push the envelope and make mistakes during practice so that skills can be honed even further.  Skills can't improve if the same measures are continually practiced without experimenting outside of the usual comfort zones.  Failure is an invaluable tool for success.  Without failure growth doesn't occur.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes.  The point is that when the time comes to perform, practiced skills need to SHINE!  The BEST performances ALWAYS occur when analysis and extraneous thoughts are held to a minimum; with the least distractions involved.  Faith in practiced skills, guide efforts to Certain Success!  "Just do it!", so says Nike.

Unfortunately, the practice of Faith can be used in destructive ways. Does jumping from a bridge and hoping that a miracle will come true, being Faithful?  No.  Does purposefully being placed in harm's way and expecting to be saved, being Faithful? No.  Does being commanded to destroy and securing Salvation through that destruction, being Faithful?  Well, yes; faithful to those who called for destruction, but nothing more.  Apparently, some do believe these actions to be Faithful.  In reality, those aforementioned actions are not the actions of those who have Faith. Faith cannot be tested.  Faith cannot be fooled!  Salvation is not purchased with the exchange of life through Faith.  Faith is so much more.  And, Salvation is a completely different matter.

Faith is often associated with religion.  Faith is not religion.  Religion is manmade.  Faith is no more manmade than is Anticipation, Appreciation, Generosity, Love, Joy, or Hope.  None of these forenamed actions are tangible; born into that part of every emotional life that is intangible, yet invaluable.  All have Great Power; in and of themselves.  But, together: WOW!  Faith means believing in uncertainty and The Unknown.  Faith means Believing in Something Greater.

"Ave Maria" does represent Faith in terms of religion. Perceive the intent that fuels the pleading that powers "Ave Maria".  People need security.  People need to believe in the something tangible.  Thus, many pray.  Through prayer, many seek answers.  "Ave Maria" represents one of many means that helps bridge the difference between Hope and Faith.  Prayer gives people that Hope with anticipation.  Thus, prayer makes Faith seem tangible, even if prayer lasts for but a short time.

Faith is, in the face of adversity: Triumph!

From Wikipedia:
The Ave Maria was composed in about 1825 by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), filled with devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It was written for voice and piano and first published in 1826 as Op 52 no 6.  The words most commonly used with Schubert's music are not the words that the composer originally set to music.  Franz Schubert actually wrote the music for an excerpt from the poem "The Lady of the Lake" by Sir Walter Scott, which was translated into German by Adam Storck.  The Ave Maria was composed in about 1825 by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) when he was twenty-eight years old and filled with devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It was written for voice and piano and first Published in 1826 as Op 52 no 6.  The words most commonly used with Schubert's music are not the words that the composer originally set to music.  Franz Schubert actually wrote the music for an excerpt from the poem "The Lady of the Lake" by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), which was translated into German by Adam Storck.  Schubert called his piece Ellens dritter Gesang (Ellen's third song).  In this particular excerpt from the poem the heroine, Ellen Douglas, is in hiding and prays to the Virgin Mary.  The original words by Sir Walter Scott include many references to the Latin "Ave Maria" prayer.  This, no doubt, inspired an unknown person to fit the Latin "Ave Maria" prayer text to Schubert's notes, and it almost succeeds with a couple of exceptions.  The adapted Latin words of Ave Maria prayer (Hail Mary) is now the version most commonly performed with the music of Schubert.   The Bach/Gounod "Ave Maria" is a popular and much-recorded setting of the Latin text "Ave Maria".  Written by French Romantic composer Charles Gounod in 1859, his "Ave Maria" consists of a melody superimposed over the Prelude No. 1 in C major from Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 846), composed by J. S. Bach some 137 years earlier.