One of Pope Benedict’s main concerns was undoubtedly the fact that, especially in the western world, many Christians were giving up their faith. This must have been the main reason which prompted him to dedicate this year to Faith.
Understanding is the result of faith, so you believe so that you will understand
Throughout history, different movements threatened the life of faith. From the very beginning, Christianity was threatened by Gnosticism, a movement that attributed salvation to knowledge. So big was that threat that some believe that once Christianity survived Gnosticism, it would survive anything.
Closer to our times, the Enlightenment attributed salvation to reason. Reason would certainly bring happiness to humankind. I do not think that time proved these people right.
For some, science also proved to be problematic to faith. Science is explaining what in the past was not explainable and attributed to God. At the same time, many great scientists are and were great believers, not least the discoverer of the Big Bang.
An age-long hurdle to faith is suffering, especially the suffering of the innocent. How can a good God permit the innocent to suffer? There are no easy answers to this question and it is better not to try to give one. God’s answer to Job, who asked the question, could be helpful. It is reducible to: “Believe that I love you in all the circumstances of your life.”
Not all react in the same way to suffering. Observing the reactions of his fellow Jews in the concentration camp, the great psychologist Viktor Frankl said that before suffering, faith is like a flame in the wind: if it is weak it will be blown out, if it is strong it will rage even more.
Faith is not the result of logical reasoning. If faith could be proven logically it would no longer be faith. At most, reason tells us that faith is not unreasonable.
It is good to keep in mind that faith is a gift of God and not the fruit of human work. It should be prayed for. It is not given explicitly to everybody. Some very good people did not receive it.
Ghandi, for instance, a great admirer of Jesus Christ, never came to believe in him as the Son of God. It does not follow that Ghandi is not saved; he simply did not receive the gift of explicit faith.
Even among those who receive it, not all receive it in the same way. For some, it comes easily, they experience the presence of God in a very tangible way.
For others, it does not come easily. Recently we learned that for Mother Teresa, her faith experience was total and continuous aridity. Theologian Karl Rahner speaks of the “winter experience” of some. Many a Christian walks the walk of faith in the dark. Not that they are any less believers for it.
Faith is to be considered from two perspectives: belief in something and belief in someone. It is good to begin with the latter. The first act of faith is in a person, not in a statement. Ultimately, faith means trust and we trust people.
If we come to believe in someone we will believe what this someone tells us. This is how it happens in daily life. We believe something because the communicator is trustworthy.
This is also the basis of Christian faith. We believe that God spoke and, especially, that God spoke through his Son. The apostles passed on God’s message to us and we consider them trustworthy witnesses.
Having faith does not mean that there won’t be moments of darkness. Faith is not a once-and-for-ever thing; we need to give our trust everyday and this implies taking a risk everyday.
Søren Kierkegaard calls faith a leap in the dark; you are sure that there is ground under your feet only after you have leapt, never before. St Anselm of Canterbury says it in a different way: Understanding is the result of faith, so you do not seek to understand in order to believe but you believe so that you will understand.
alfred.j.micallef@um.edu.mt
Fr Micallef is a member of the Society of Jesus.