Many aspects of society hide the importance of God and faith from humanity. Society reminds us that we are out of touch with modern times. The strong winds of modern thinking can scatter us asunder. At times, it seems we are so buffeted by confusion, conflict and contradiction that we do not know what is happening. However, living our faith keeps us sane. John of the Cross reminds us: “Faith is the union of God with the soul.” We strive for this union by having the discipline of a faith that trusts, endures, and lives as followers of Jesus. Our faith in God reminds us to return to our inmost center, and rest in his presence. It is there where whatever is happening is put in its proper place.
Benedict XVI wrote: “Faith is foremost a personal, intimate encounter with Jesus. . . . It is in this way that we learn to know him better, to love him, and to follow him more and more.” Deep faith is a profound respect and love for Jesus, his teachings, and his Church. We strive to be consistent in living our Christian faith in whatever life puts in our path. We realize how our dependence on God increases when we face situations we are unable to handle. Faith takes us beyond our own strength and efforts and teaches us when it is time to let go of our plans and let God take over. With the help of grace and trust in God, faith helps us to do frightening or unpleasant things and aids us when we hit rock bottom. On the night of July 10, 1943, General Dwight Eisenhower was watching the vast armada of three thousand ships sailing from Malta to the shores of Sicily for a huge battle. The general saluted his heroic men and afterward bowed his head in prayer. To the officer standing beside him, Eisenhower said, “There comes a time when you’ve used your brains, your training, your technical skills, and the die is cast and the events are in the hands of God, and there you have to leave them.”
We see God through faith. John of the Cross tells us, “Faith causes darkness and a void of understanding in the intellect.” Faith affirms what the senses do not perceive. We believe what we do not see and in the end, we will be rewarded by what we have believed. John of the Cross continues: “Faith lies beyond all understanding, taste, feeling, and imagining that one has. However impressive may be one’s knowledge or feeling of God, that knowledge or feeling will have no resemblance to God and amounts to very little. To attain union with God, a person should neither advance by understanding, nor by support of one’s own experience, but by belief in God’s being.” Paul the apostle refines our understanding about faith as the foundation of our Christian life, “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for and conviction about things we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) We live by faith that is beyond our feelings and mental processes because faith is rooted in what we believe to be true. We believe what we do not see, feel or understand. We believe we are known, loved and protected by God and thereby understand, in our limited human way, that Jesus is with us all the days of our life.
We do our best to maintain a steadfast faith in, and love for, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the basis of a well integrated life. Our goodness is dependent on faith and love. John of the Cross encourages us to know him, “We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides.”
The Gift
Faith is the most beautiful gift from God and it is up to us to accept it. Accepting the gift of faith is not a one time occurrence, but an everyday heart opportunity to grow spiritually. Each time we embrace this gift, our heart expands. We move closer to God, even though we are not conscious of it.
Indeed, every word and act in our lives will have an eternal significance. We travel on by trusting in the Triune God and doing our best. Secure in knowing that faith is our true source of strength and our powerful anchor, we are confident at our depths when faith appears to be weak or fragile on the surface. Abiding faith is deep in the heart. When we descend into our heart, we live with a quiet but sturdy sense of God’s presence and an assurance of his mercy and love. We are singularly loved by him. Because we truly believe this, it is easier to love ourselves and others. Observing and living our Catholic beliefs nourishes and comforts our soul and can assist others with their soul health.
Our faith journey is not an easy road. We are grateful when our road is smooth and sweet, however we realize there will be times when our faith may be fragile or shaken to the core. Spiritual masters assure us there will be dark times when faith seems to be absent or an illusion. Genuinely holy people have doubted God. Mother Teresa of Calcutta had doubts about God’s existence for decades. In 1959, she wrote “In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not existing.” Her namesake, Therese of Lisieux, was in a severe dark night of faith during the last eighteen months of her life. She felt cut off from God. However, both women were determined to believe. They had the maturity to travel through their dark nights with trust and hope. They knew that even in the dark, Jesus accompanies us. The suffering of each person unfolds into the dying and rising of Christ. Faith abides even in the midst of spiritual confusion and doubt.
