At the impulse of faith

THIS is the ideal situation in our life. It’s when we manage to shape our life according to the behest of our faith that we attain this ideal. Faith is a gift from God that enables us to start living our life with God which is how our life should be.

                We actually have been made for a life of faith. If we look more closely at how we are, we will see that are made for believing, more than just for reasoning or, much less, for feeling. We are in need to make acts of faith, because no matter how much we reason out and feel, we will still realize that the reality goes beyond what reason and feelings can discern.

                Of course, faith always goes together with hope and charity, all of which assure us that while we still are journeying toward our final destination in this present life of ours, we somehow are already there in that destination. 

                That’s the mysterious beauty of these three theological virtues. They make us be both here and there, in time and in eternity, on earth and in heaven. They make us realize we are never alone, since with them we will feel we are with God and also with everybody else. They connect us with God and others.

                How important therefore to take good care of these divine gifts! And among them, the first one to get our attention should be our faith, since our life with God and others begins with it. Faith somehow acts as the foundation for hope and charity, although the three work together in mutual, vital relationship.

                While faith is a gift from God, it is also the response and the care we give to that gift. While it is a matter of grace, it is also a human act and responsibility. As the Catechism says, “believing is an authentically human act. Trusting in God and cleaving to the truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason.” (CCC 154)

                We ought to feel the need to constantly sharpen and strengthen our life of faith, because many now are the elements and factors that can undermine it. It’s not so much the outright rejection of faith, like when one falls into formal atheism or agnosticism, as the subtle but continuing neglect of our faith that constitutes its gravest danger.

                We have to be wary therefore when we just allow ourselves to be led mainly by our feelings, moods and passions, by social trends, cultural and historical conditionings, or even by mere ideological factors, since these do not bring us to our ideal way of life.

                Yes, we have to use them—and, in fact, we cannot avoid them—but we have to make sure that they are always infused by faith. Otherwise, they can lead us to some exciting adventures or drift us aimlessly in life, but they, alone without faith, can never bring us to where we should be.

                Especially in the beginning, we have to make deliberate acts of faith, much like a child learning how to eat and write properly. We should not make a big fuss about this awkwardness or even difficulty. It’s all worth it. The important thing to keep in mind is that these acts of faith will hopefully become second nature to us.

                We need to trust God, his wisdom and his ways. Especially when things look like impossible to do or accomplish, the more we should trust him. We have to be convinced that with God, nothing is impossible.

                How many episodes in the life of Christ as narrated in the gospel attest to this fact! It’s God, it’s Christ, it’s his Church and the many instrumentalities the Church has made available to us where we can have what is essential, what is ultimate in our life.

                Let’s go beyond but not discard our tendency to rely on some human and natural sciences and arts alone as means to achieve our ultimate goal in life. We need to use our faith!

                Look at the lives of saints. In spite of their human shortcomings, it’s their faith that made them do impossible things, even to accept martyrdom. Besides, as St. Paul said, “the foolish things of the world has God chosen, that he may confound the wise. And the weak things of the world has God chosen, that he may confound the strong.” (1 Cor 1,27)

                Let’s make our faith burn, making many acts of faith, studying the doctrine, and doing things with magnanimity.