The
Venerable Francis Libermann, C.S.Sp., commenting on the text in St. John (3:16)—“That
whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting”—writes:
“It is to be noted that our Lord says, that all who believe in Him and not
believe in His name, for the latter expression signifies but a belief in the
Person of our Lord, or in the doctrine which He preaches—a belief which can
coexist with very indifferent conduct. Those who have this kind of belief
should not place a false confidence in the Cross of our Savior: it will condemn
instead of saving them. There is required a faith in Him (in eum, not in
ipso—in Latin it is the accusative, not the ablative, case)—a term which signifies
union and adhesion to the soul to our Savior. This implies an estrangement from
sin and the putting of a supernatural principle and motive into one’s activity.
For if the soul is truly united to our Lord by this perfect and real faith,
then its action is united to His and the Savior is the principle of that
action.” (Edward Leen, Why the Cross? [New York: Sheed and Ward, 1938;
repr., New York: Scepter Press, 2001], 47 n. 14)
Further Reading