The dynamism of faith

WE are beings of faith. Not only do we think and reason out. There’s something in us that leads us to believe. Even if we deny it, the truth is we are exposed to an infinite reality which we cannot cope with our reason alone.

One way or another, we handle it through faith. It’s a willful leap of our reason that recognizes its own limitations, allowing it to be taken up by a mysterious force that enables us to say yes to what we see and discern without fully understanding it.

It’s our way of tackling with the infinite, the spiritual and supernatural. And since this is a life-long condition of ours, we have to understand that our life is a life of faith. We are not ruled only by reason and will, nor by feelings and instincts alone.

We are designed for faith. Sooner or later, we end up just believing in something. Even if one were to say that he does not believe in anything, that position alone is already an act of faith.

While there can be an endless variety of beliefs, the distinctive mark of the Christian faith is that it comes from outside and above us. It’s supernatural. It’s not completely subjective nor merely human. It’s based on a revelation that has Christ at its center and as its fullness.

He is known as the son of God who became man to tell us who we really are, and what we are meant to be. And his presence and action on us and with us are kept in the Church he established through the different means he also made available—his word, his sacraments, his ministers.

The Christian faith has a personal, private and intimate aspect, as well as an institutional, public and official dimension. It comes to us from hearing. It’s something received, a gift, and thus not man-made. It lives within the context of the Church.

It’s a dynamic thing that demands an existential response for it to prosper in us. It puts us in an adventure with God unlocking the secrets of life along the way.

Thus, we have to understand it as requiring us to continually exercise it one way or another. Christian faith is not just an intellectual exercise, though that is done. Nor is it just an act of the will, though that too is needed. It is a living affair with a living God. It’s God’s grace for us, and our correspondence to it.

While it has defined doctrine to guide us by, a structural way of transmitting and cultivating it, as well as an ecclesial and historical dimension, etc., Christian faith is basically one’s personal affair with God.

As such, it waxes and wanes depending on one’s dispositions and effort in cultivating it. It certainly is not just a matter of being able to profess the creed, or to memorize the catechism, etc., though these again are involved.

With Christian faith, one gets to reflect the vital thoughts of God. It gives a supernatural tone to our outlook in life. After all, our whole life, as defined also by that faith, is a life with God. In fact, we are called to live the fullness of God.

The faith is the beginning of that life. Charity perfects it. But the two, plus hope, are always together in this earthly life. Faith always has something to say with respect to all our concerns and affairs. It’s never aloof to these things.

And so we are supposed to go ever deeper into that faith by studying it, then praying, reflecting, meditating all the way to the point of contemplation. An act of love, quite deliberate and cognizant of the need for sacrifice, should move it.

Prudence dictates that we be careful not to confuse our thoughts with God’s thoughts. This is the tricky part that somehow can be overcome if one practices a little restraint, is humble and discerning always, consulting with spiritual directors, etc. One has to continually rectify as well as rev up his intentions.

More or less, with these characteristics, one’s faith can go deeper. We have to remember that faith always involves lights and shadows. It’s like journeying. It should not get stuck at a certain point. It has to move on. But it will not reach its final destination here in this life.

While it can effect certainty, it’s a certainty that’s never rigid and completed. It can and should always grow.