ever since she was a young girl. She felt conflicted. However, she knew she had made a commitment and that a promise is a dreadful thing to break. She prayed and declined the invitation.
In the quiet of the retreat chapel Marianne realized that there were saints all around her. Her retreat companions looked normal; there was nothing outstanding about them. However, there was an unexplained peace and joy radiating from these women. Was this intangible something sanctity? We are reminded by Anthony of Padua: “The saints are like the stars. In his providence, Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet, they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in their hearts the invitation of Christ.”
Faith is lived with an upright heart and hard work. In other words, to believe in Jesus is to do what he commands. Faith is ever watchful. We watch what we say: Is it necessary? Is it true? Is it kind? Augustine, a bishop and Doctor of the Church, advises us: “Do not rejoice in earthly reality, rejoice in Christ, rejoice in his word, rejoice in his law. . . . There will be peace and tranquility in the Christian heart, but only as long as our faith is watchful; if, however, our faith sleeps, we are in danger.”
Pilgrim’s Progress
God’s faithful pilgrims make the love and goodness of God visible on earth. The holiness in their lifestyle counteracts and diminishes the power of sin and evil. Belief in God is a serious, sacred trust that grows stronger as long as there is growth in holiness. Faith is the prime motivator that gives witness to God in words, action and conduct. The best response to God and his love is an increase in faith. Faith is actualized by prayer, participating in the liturgy, receiving the sacraments, living a virtuous life and serving others. Faith filled decisions and actions stir up the desire to continually seek the Triune God and abide by his word. We live our faith through the teachings of our religion, a sound and sturdy guide. Living the tenants of religion goes hand in hand with respecting others for their religion beliefs.
I grew up in a very Protestant area. The majority of the populace belonged to a Lutheran sect that was at best wary and at worse downright bigoted when it came to Catholics. There was no parochial school attached to our little mission church so we few Catholic kids merged with our Lutheran neighbors on buses, bikes or on foot each day to make our way to the public school. Most days you couldn’t tell a Catholic from a Lutheran, but when Lent came along the distinctions became noticeable. The Catholics were recognizable by the black smudge of ashes on their foreheads. The Catholic kids generally didn’t eat candy during the week but instead hoarded it away for consumption on Sunday which didn’t count as a day of Lent. The Catholics could not eat meat on Friday during Lent and here’s where egg salad sandwiches take on significance.
Two mothers were assigned to provide a lunch for our classroom parties throughout the year. These parties were always on a Friday afternoon when our eagerness to be free for the weekend pretty much obliterated any possibility of learning. Since kids are always hungry, the lunches were pretty substantial—not just a snack. It seems there was always a party or two during Lent and typically the room mothers would have been of the Lutheran faith. Even though their church did not require abstinence from meat on Fridays, they never forgot that the little Catholic kids would need special consideration and they went to the extra effort of providing egg salad for us so that we would not be left out when the plate of sandwiches was passed. It was a kindness that I have never forgotten.4
Head and Heart
John of the Cross advises: “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.” Faith declares 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. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29). David Spangle tells us: “Faith, to me, is the capacity to be open to the intangible, invisible domains of life. It is the ability to be comfortable in the presence of mystery. It is the willingness to go where the senses cannot always take us, to appreciate and be open to the realm of energy and spirit. Faith creates an open space in which the unexpected, the unpredicted, and often the most essential can appear and become known.”
When Christians pass through the door of faith, they enter the highest realm of their existence: the spiritual life with the Triune God as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. God is our Father who created us. Jesus is his son who shows us the way to the Father. The Holy Spirit helps us along this way. And at the end of this earthly sojourn we enter into eternal life. Faith forms a heart into a sanctuary because it is the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity. We can visit this sanctuary and see the fire of faith still burning. These little visits can keep our lamp of faith alight when we are working, studying, eating or resting.
It is more important to believe than to understand. Too much conversation can dilute the mysteries of faith. Excessive explanation can reduce the richness in the symbols of faith. If someone stops to explain the why behind the lighting of the candles at Mass, when this is taking place, it stops the graceful flow of this ritual. To reverently complete the ritual and trust that the ritual will give its own teaching, will not disturb the beauty of the moment. An explanation can be given after Mass. Talking about something cannot take the place of living it. Faith is more authentic when it is the key to life, rather than the subject for dialogue.
Thomas Merton tells us, “Ultimately, faith is the only key to the universe. The final meaning of human existence, and the answers to the questions on which all our happiness depends cannot be found in any other way.” When faith matures, questions about Christian beliefs are replaced with a wonderment in the mystery of God and the beauty of his truth. A sense of awe replaces a relentless search for that which is unknown or not understood. New manifestations of the mystery of God are not seen as a source of pride but as a deepening in humility. The truths of faith are beyond human cognition and will only be fully understood in heaven. The limits of knowledge are not roadblocks to knowing God better. Intellectual ability can become a source of pride. Rationalization justifies thoughts and conduct through human reasoning alone. Therefore, it can lead to justifying erroneous thinking, producing good reasons to do bad things, or good reasons for not doing good things we are supposed to do. Mature faith is not based on great intelligence or noteworthy scholarship. It is based on assiduous prayer and belief in the truths and mystery of the Triune God.
Over a hundred years ago, a university student was walking through a quiet park. He saw an elderly man sitting on a bench alone and sat down next to him. The elderly man was praying the rosary, moving the beads with his fingers. “Sir, do you still believe in such outdated things?” asked the student of the old man. “Yes, I do. Do you not?” asked the man. The student burst out laughing and said, “I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the rosary away and learn what science has to say.” “Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me.” The student saw that the man was deeply moved. So to avoid hurting the feelings of this man he said: “Please give me your address and I will send you some literature.” The man fumbled in the inside pocket of his coat and gave the student his visiting card. On glancing at the card, the student bowed his head and became silent. On the card he read: Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute of Scientific Research, Paris.
Faith rises above the limits of that which is known and into the realms where intelligence cannot go. Loving God is greater than knowledge about God because God’s love is greater than what we are able to know. It seems incomplete to describe Jesus within the boundaries of human thoughts, culture and language. Metaphors and allegories fall short. Letting loose of attempts to explain God assists in surrendering to his tremendous mystery. Angela of Foligno, a thirteenth-century Franciscan Italian mystic
