Fr Sean again
What We Believe in Shapes Us
Whatever we believe in, consciously or unconsciously, shapes our thinking. Our thinking generates our feelings, and our feelings seek expression in action. Our actions speak louder than words about what we believe. What shapes our thinking shapes our words and actions. We’re always living out our beliefs, whether or not we’re conscious of them. Faith is the trust we place in what we believe will give us meaning, a sense of self-worth, power, purpose, happiness, hope, inner peace, and a joyful future. No one wants to be meaningless, worthless, powerless, hopeless, etc. We want to have a sense of self-worth, feel valued and loved for who we are rather than only for what we do. Who wants to feel or be treated as worthless? Everyone wants power since without it we can’t change or improve anything. Who wants to feel impotent? We all want to have a purpose in life, knowing why we’re here and what we’re headed for. Who wants to live an aimless life and feel lost? We want a hope based on faith that we’ll be able to rise above our suffering and trials as more complete persons. We want peace of mind, heart, and soul. We want a joyful future to which we can look forward with enthusiasm. We need to ask ourselves, “Will what I have faith in fulfil all my hopes and dreams and bring me happiness?” Only God can give us that hope because He, unlike the world, is always faithful to His promises to those who rely on Him for every good thing. God alone is reliable.
Two Options
What do we have faith in? There are two possible realities to set our heart on to meet our deepest needs: God and the physical world. We can have faith in our doctor, bank manager, employer, employee, spouse, teacher, children, newspaper editor, government, neighbour, etc. Can any of these assure us of a meaningful life, or give us self-worth, power, purpose, happiness, hope, peace, love and a bright future? No. They might provide us with some of these temporarily, but not permanently. And what happens to our faith in them if they prove untrustworthy? The world can’t give us what we need because it doesn’t have what it needs itself. Putting our faith in worldly things like money, pleasure, popularity, power will leave us with nothing because we will lose them in death. The world lies when it says to us that it can make us happy through becoming powerful, popular, self-pleasure, or possessions. Marxism lies when it tells us it can create a utopia on earth. God speaks the truth when He says that He can make us happy through submitting our will to His and embracing Jesus by carrying our cross and following Him in and through His Church. Nothing is impossible with God (Lk 1:37). The Old Testament Psalmist urges us, “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Ps 95:7-8). Who can deliver on these promises?
Source of Meaning and Purpose
The creature is completely dependent on the Creator for its meaning and purpose. Therefore it is our Creator who tells us the truth about our purpose, what gives us meaning, self-worth, power, and what brings us genuine and ultimate happiness. It is faith in our Creator that gives us a hope that’s not deceptive, a peace that lasts, and a future that’s perfect and filled with joy. We have to choose either God, as revealed in Jesus, or the world. Jesus reminds us that “No servant can serve two masters … you cannot give yourself to God and money” (Lk 16:1-13). Whatever we put our faith in becomes our master. If we put our faith in Jesus He becomes our Master Teacher who shapes our thinking. We’ll look to Him to tell us how to live a meaningful life, how to esteem ourselves, how to become powerful, how to achieve our true purpose, how to pursue happiness, how to have hope and peace, and how to prepare for a joyful future. If we put our trust in worldly things we’ll let it become our master and director of our life leading to corruption and death. The results, of course, will differ drastically. Faith in worldly wisdom promotes self-centredness. Faith in God promotes charity and brings a peace the world can’t provide (Jn 14:27). Faith in God revealed in Jesus, now present in His Church, frees us from the grip of sin, relaxes us, and assures us of our personal fulfilment. It empowers us to accomplish great things in life and to look forward to even better things in the future.
A Supernatural Gift
Faith in God is based on knowing Him personally and believing that He is totally trustworthy. God made this possible through, with and in Jesus now sacramentally present in His Church. It’s a supernatural gift which God gives us to trust in Him who does what He promises. Religious faith is “constant assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11:1). The Spanish author, Juan Valera (1824-1905) wrote, “Faith in an all-seeing and personal God, elevates the soul, purifies the emotions, sustains human dignity, and lends poetry, nobility and holiness to the commonest state, condition and manner of life.”
Power of Religious Faith
Jesus emphasized the power of religious faith, “If you had faith as little as a mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore, ‘Be uprooted and transplanted into the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk 17:6). It is not a matter of having a strong faith but rather in using the faith that you have. Faith in Jesus means knowing and believing, “…that God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to His decree” (Rom 8:28). God calls everyone to trust in Him because, “He wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). The truth, of course, is that only faith in Jesus – the Truth - can save us and enable you to achieve our fullest potential, which is to be God’s image and likeness in the world to the best of our ability and to be perfected in Heaven. This is the faith that assures us that all our yearnings and needs, our fondest hopes and dreams will be met in ways beyond your wildest imagination. The Catholic faith is the only faith that can shape you and me into a spiritually fulfilled person. God is the only one who can “comfort us in all our afflictions, and thus enable us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from Him” (2 Cor 1:4). Reason tells us that being shaped by faith in God far surpasses being shaped by the world. Sadly, the majority have chosen the world as their master, which means that the majority of people are unreasonable. Religious faith means, Forsaking All I Trust Him. (fr sean)
The Power of Authoritative Words
If I came up to you and said, “You are arrested,” but you know I’m not a policeman, you would not be arrested and pay no attention to me. But if a policeman said to you, “I’m arresting you,” you would actually be arrested. What’s the difference? My words do not have authority but the policeman’s words have authority to do what he says.
The same is true of the Holy Eucharist. If you as a lay person took bread and said “This is my body,” it wouldn’t become your body because you didn’t have the authority to change it. But if a Catholic priest while offering up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass acting in Jesus’ place said over the bread, “This is my body,” it actually becomes Jesus’ body because the words spoken by the priest have the authority to change the bread into Jesus Body and make it a reality. The same is true of the wine that becomes Jesus’ blood. It is the power of the Word spoken by authority. Jesus grants that authority to suitable men through His Church’s sacrament of Holy Orders.