What is faith? In Hebrews 11-1 it says, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”
I was blessed to have experienced a first rate Catholic education by way of Catholic grade school and Catholic high school. I was also blessed to have a first rate Catholic Mom who really knew her stuff. Almost daily we had wonderful theological type discussions around the house, but often we got to the place where my Mom’s answer was always, “it’s a matter of faith”. For a young person, that was the equivalent of; “Because I said so”. It was the signal there was to be no more discussion on that subject. Accept what I am telling you and believe it – because it is true and, “because I said so”.
And accept it I did, because it was true. Now, wasn’t that simple, gentle readers? When we turn into big people we have this need to make everything so complicated. We fret and stew over every little truth presented to us. We don’t study up on all this God stuff because it’s interesting or fun. Oh no, we rip it down to its tiniest molecule, pin it up on a board like a dead butterfly, and then congratulate ourselves for having “found” faith.
That’s not how we “get” faith. Faith is a gift from God. If you’re waiting for it to come to you by way of a burning bush, you may have a very long wait. God gifted me with faith through my Mother and the Sisters who taught me at school. Your faith may come through another quiet little source, but only if you ask and are prepared to get your ego out of the way.
5 comments:
Does God want everyone to have this gift? Why do some good people I know have not one iota of interest in God.
I agree that the “it’s a matter of faith” is woefully inadequate as a way of explaining things. I try as much as possible to wrestle courageously with my doubts and apparent incongruity between science and religion. But do I let my doubts fester and ruin my spiritual life? NO. I address these with people who know more than I do. Those poor Jesuits at the Vatican Observatory have bore the brunt of my inquiries for years now, and have very patiently addressed by bafflement in reference to the science/ religion topic. Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete, of St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York, suggested taking your questions and dubts and see them through all the way to the end, SHOUT if you must along the way, and you will find God sooner or later.
Tom
angela, I believe God wants everyone to have all the gifts He has to offer. We have free will and may accept or reject what is freely offered.
Not accepting does not make someone a "bad" person just as accepting does not automatically make someone good.
And, since it's 11:30pm and I just spent the evening with our RCIA class, I'm way too foggy to think of anything very intelligent to say. However, it will rattle around in my pea brain and maybe tomorrow I'll not sound so stupid.
tom --- how do you have access to all these smart folks?? Lucky you!! And I doubt very much you are a bother to them.
I never had problems with science and religion seeming to be a contradiction. They appear, at least to me, to compliment each other.
I have way more problem with my spelling:)
I think some people have more faith than they realize. I am thinking of people like an uncle of my husband's, who was turned off of institutional religion, but who was always there to help anyone who needed it, "just because". "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren..."
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