Low Sunday 1.5.11 Faith
Christ is risen. But do we really believe it? Let us explore the basis for our faith in Him and in what we know about Him.
Faith comes from hearing, says St Paul, and we have heard the word which has led to our having faith. Other people have told us these things. The apostles, the fathers of the Church, popes, councils, catechisms, our own parents, priests, teachers ... through all these combined sources we have heard enough to convince us of the truths that make up the contents of our faith.
But can we trust what others tell us? We know that a lot of people tell lies, try to deceive us. Or they may be well-meaning but mistaken. Is our faith reliable after all?
There is more evidence for the resurrection than a lot of other things we believe. This far we can reason.
For this story to be fraudulent it would take a lot of organising and the story is so powerful it seems beyond human powers to invent, especially with its emphasis on sacrifice.
The Church’s position holds together, historically, logically.
Not just that Christ is risen, but that He is God, that He has come to save sinners, that He has established the Church, based on the apostles who were witnesses to His life, death and resurrection.
And above all there is the record of sanctity. People have died for the faith and done so in a calm ordered way, not with fanatical recklessness.
And we have all felt God’s closeness at times, our own personal miracles.
But as well as Reason we have Faith. Faith is a direct action by God to give us certainty of the truth that He speaks.
God is Truth, the first and last word. If it comes from Him we must believe it. ‘Truth itself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.’
There are some things in our lives that we just ‘know’ without necessarily being able to explain the basis for our certainty. The gift of Faith operates outside of the normal processes of knowledge.
It is more like ‘intuition’ but stronger and more reliable. We just ‘know’ these things are true. God is lending us some of His own self-knowledge and enabling us to rise above the waters of doubt that surround us.
Although we cannot, like St Thomas, touch the wounds of Christ, we are given the equivalent certainty that he received.
The reasoning processes help but the gift of Faith clinches the matter completely.
The truth we receive must not remain just as a concept in our minds (like saying 2+2=4) but be something we live out in practice.
So we are inspired by the truth of Christ’s resurrection to be His disciples, to make Him known to all nations, to transform the world into His kingdom.
Between the mental certainty and the energy of our response we not only grow in our understanding of the truth but see it taking shape in the world.
It is not just a feeling but a living certainty, not one which comes or goes with changing circumstances, but locked in.
The more we get into it the more true we realize it is.
So if the mountains should fall or if the stalls stand empty of cattle and the crops fail... I still believe and know that it must come right, no matter how long or complicated the path may be.
Our faith can grow stronger and stronger and if it does we will be more able to help others to believe. The truth is there anyway, but the human race needs to come alongside and believe it!
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