Day 22: Wrestling with Faith (156-162)

• Today we continue to talk about FAITH

• The last couple of days we have talked about OUR RESPONSE TO GOD REVEALING HIMSELF

• Faith is both a GRACE

• IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD!!

• Faith is also a HUMAN ACT

• AND…

• Today we take the next step

• Talking about FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING

• What moves us to understanding is not the fact that everything appears true and intelligible in light of natural human reason

• BUT…

• God has REVEALED HIMSELF 

• We are believing that NOT ONLY DOES THIS MAKE SENSE

• We are believing in the fact that GOD HAS AUTHORITY

• We are believing in the fact that GOD IS TRUE

• And here’s the crazy thing…

• When we grow in FAITH sometimes it is HELPED by evidence, signs, proofs, etc.

• ULTIMATELY THOUGH…

• We are not simply believing IN God

• We are BELIEVING GOD

• We are BELIEVING IN HIM

• BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT HE IS TRUE!!

• We can move and grow our FAITH

• We can move and grow into UNDERSTANDING MORE DEEPLY

• We will also talk about the role between FAITH AND SCIENCE

• There is NO REAL DISCREPANCY between FAITH AND SCIENCE

• We have to be FREE

• Human beings have to be FREE TO SAY “NO” IF OUR “YES” IS GOING TO MEAN ANYTHING

• We have to be free to REJECT THE TRUTH if our ADHERENCE TO TRUTH IS GOING TO MEAN ANYTHING

• FAITH HAS TO BE FREE

• THERE IS A FREEDOM OF FAITH

• There is also the NECESSITY OF FAITH

• There is also the PERSEVERANCE IN FAITH

• We NEED to have faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ in order to have His life

• Faith has to be the kind of thing in which we PERSEVERE

• THAT IS SO ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL FOR US!!

• ALL THESE PIECES ARE CRITICAL!!

• That we GROW IN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR FAITH

• That we KNOW THE ONE IN WHOM WE TRUST

• That we TRUST FREELY

• That we HOLD OUT TO THE END

• THAT IS THE CHALLENGE!!

• The One in whom we believe on the mountaintop is the same One who is with us in the valley 🤯

• So let's pray 

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in heaven,we know that on sunny days and days where everything is going well, that you are God. We also know that when we are in the valley of the shadow of death, you are still God. We know that when we have everything we've ever wanted, you are trustworthy. And when we are so confused and feel so lost and so alone, you are still trustworthy. Help us to trust in you. Help us to continue to adhere to you. Help us to continue to submit our intellect and will to you. Help us to belong to you fully. Not only in this moment, but in every single moment of our lives, so that at the end of our lives, you can have that grace of final perseverance, clinging to you even in darkness. Help us to always know that what was true in the light is also true in the darkness. Be with us in both, Lord God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• Ok so that’s a CHUNK!!

• That is some DEPTH we had today!!

• Paragraph 156 talks about FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING

• IT IS REMARKABLE!!

• God revealing Himself and revealed truths

• What moves us to believe those is not human reason alone

• What moves us to believe is the AUTHORITY OF GOD HIMSELF

• At the same time, it doesn’t go CONTRARY to our reason

• We do not have to TURN OFF OUR REASON

• God isn’t asking us, “Hey, believe me!”

• “Why?”

• “Because!!”

• Remember back in the Gospel of John

• Whenever Jesus did a miracle, John indicated it as a SIGN AND WONDER

• Why?

• What are those things?

• THOSE ARE PROOFS!!

• They aren’t JUST miracles

• They weren’t simply there to JUST heal the person

• They weren’t simply there to JUST exorcise the demon that was tormenting the person

• BUT…

• THEY WERE SIGNS

• THEY WERE WONDERS

• SIGNS POINTING TO THE FACT THAT JESUS COULD BE TRUSTED

• The Catechism is pointing to a lot of external proofs

• Like what?

• MIRACLES OF JESUS

• MIRACLES OF THE SAINTS

• There are SO MANY MIRACLES that the Church has INVESTIGATED and DOCUMENTED that happen EVEN TODAY

• WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!

• PROPHECIES

• How many prophecies of the Old Testament does Jesus fulfill?

• Something like over 300 Old Testament prophecies!!

• These point to the REALITY that JESUS IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS

• WE CAN TRUST JESUS!!

• The Church’s growth in holiness, fruitfulness, and stability are called MOTIVES OF CREDIBILITY

• Motiva credibilitatis in Latin

• “...which show that the assent of faith is ‘by no means a blind impulse of the mind.’”

• We are NEVER called to simple BLIND FAITH

• God has given us PROOFS

• God has given us SIGNS

• God has given us WONDERS

• SO WE TRUST HIM!!

• Now FAITH IS CERTAIN

• Why?

• BECAUSE GOD CAN’T LIE!!

• So if we are trusting in the One who can’t lie, that will ALWAYS be a more certain FAITH

• Now, some truths can seem OBSCURE

• Some truths can seem DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT

• BUT…

• John Henry Cardinal Newman said, “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.”

• You might say, “I don’t know about this teaching.”

• As long as you keep struggling with it, THAT IS NOT DOUBT

• Faith is when we submit our INTELLECT and our WILL to God

• Doubt is NOT struggling with it

• Doubt is REFUSING to submit our intellect to God

• Doubt is REFUSING to submit our will to God 

• So if we are having difficulties, questions, challenges

• If we don’t know WHAT this teaching is

• If we don’t know WHY this teaching is

• If we don’t know HOW WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE THIS TEACHING

• THAT IS COMPLETELY FINE!!

• WE CONTINUE TO SEEK UNDERSTANDING!!

• Because TEN THOUSAND DIFFICULTIES DO NOT ADD UP TO ONE SINGLE DOUBT

• This is why we seek understanding

• The Catechism is saying that if we have FAITH then we have to KEEP DIVING MORE DEEPLY INTO IT

• WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND EVEN MORE

• WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO FEED ON SCRIPTURE

• WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GET CLOSE TO GOD

• The Final Pillar in The Catechism is on Prayer

• Fr. Mike wants to have a paragraph on prayer every single day throughout The Catechism in a Year

• But it doesn’t work out that way

• Why?

• Because if we are going to seek understanding, we are not just seeking “I want to know more.”

• “I want to KNOW more so that I can LOVE more.”

• “I want to KNOW more so that I can LOVE BETTER.”

• THAT IS THE GROWTH IN PRAYER!!

• That comes about  because of FAITH

• When we PRAY we grow in FAITH as that UNDERSTANDING increases

• Paragraph 159 says, “Faith and science: ‘Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason.”

• Why?

• BECAUSE TRUTH CANNOT CONTRADICT TRUTH!!

• There is this FALSE DICHOTOMY between faith and science

• There is this FALSE DICHOTOMY between faith and reason

• BUT…

• REASON CANNOT CONTRADICT REASON

• TRUTH CANNOT CONTRADICT TRUTH

• SCIENCE CANNOT CONTRADICT FAITH…as long as it is GOOD SCIENCE and GOOD FAITH

• THEY ARE ASKING DIFFERENT QUESTIONS!! (Do you remember what questions Faith is asking? What about Science? Go back and read Day 15: Interpreting Scripture for a refresher 😁)

• Paragraph 160 talks about The Freedom of Faith

• The Church has AFFIRMED and REAFFIRMED is basing itself off of Jesus

• Jesus NEVER forced anyone to believe

• Jesus could have overpowered ANYONE’S will

• Jesus could have overpowered ANYONE’S refusal or reluctance to believe Him

• He could have taken away their FREEDOM 

• HE NEVER DID!!

• HE NEVER COERCED ANYONE TO BELIEVING IN HIM!!

• St. John Paul II said, “The Church never IMPOSES. She merely PROPOSES.”

• THAT IS WHAT OUR LORD DID!!

• He presented Himself and invited us to RESPOND TO HIS TRUTH

• HE NEVER COERCED!!

• HE DID CALL FOR CONVERSION!!

• BUT…

• HE NEVER COERCED CONVERSION!!

• Paragraph 160 says, “For He(Jesus) bore witness to the truth but refused to use force to impose it on those who spoke against it. His kingdom…grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the cross, draws men to himself.”

• God’s greatest desire is not that we simply acknowledge that He exists

• HE WANTS US TO BE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!!

• HE WANTS US TO TRUST HIM!!

• That is REQUIRED for us

• That is NECESSARY for us

• Paragraph 161 talks about The Necessity of Faith

• Yeah but what about those people who DO NOT BELIEVE?

• We will talk about that later

• BUT YOU AND I KNOW…

• Jesus has made it VERY VERY CLEAR

• Scripture has made it VERY VERY CLEAR

• WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD AND ATTAIN TO THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SONS 

• What happens to other people?

• We will talk about that later

• What happens to US?

• THAT IS IMPORTANT!!

• We know that we can LOSE our faith

• We can GIVE IT AWAY

• We can LOSE THIS PRICELESS GIFT

• 1 Timothy 1:19, “By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith.”

• St. Paul even says, “That is why I drive my body and train it for fear after having preached to others I myself might be disqualified.” (1 Cor 9:27)

• We could just get DISQUALIFIED!!

• How many times did we read stories from the Old Testament and New Testament about people who were SO CLOSE TO THE LORD

• THEY TRULY GENUINELY LOVED HIM

• GOD LOVED THEM

• THEN THEY DECIDED TO WALK AWAY

• THEN THEY DECIDED TO DRIFT AWAY 

• So we know now that we have to pray for that FINAL PERSEVERANCE

• We have to pray for that FINAL GIFT

• WITHOUT GOD’S HELP WE WON’T MAKE IT TO THE END!!

• That’s where we want to go

• Not just to live TODAY in faith

• Not just to walk TODAY in love and hope

• BUT…

• TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE END

• So we can actually ACQUIRE THE ONE WHOM WE LOVE

• THE OBJECT OF OUR HOPE

• THE ONE IN WHOM WE BELIEVE

• So let’s pray for that

• Pray for that gift of FINAL PERSEVERANCE

• Pray for GROWTH IN FAITH

• Pray that one day EVERY ONE OF US will stand before the ONE IN WHOM WE BELIEVE and be met with that GAZE OF LOVE

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!

Scripture References & Reflections
- compiled by Andrew Adamany

Bible Translation - RSVCE

CCC 156 "What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural reason: we believe "because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived". So "that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit." Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability "are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all"; they are "motives of credibility" (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is "by no means a blind impulse of the mind".

Mark 16:20 

"And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen."

Hebrews 2:1–4 

"Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will."

CCC 157 "Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but "the certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives." "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."

Romans 11:33–36 

"O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, 

or who has been his counselor?” 

“Or who has given a gift to him 

that he might be repaid?” 

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen."

CCC 158 "Faith seeks understanding": it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith, and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. The grace of faith opens "the eyes of your hearts"34 to a lively understanding of the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality of God's plan and the mysteries of faith, of their connection with each other and with Christ, the center of the revealed mystery. "The same Holy Spirit constantly perfects faith by his gifts, so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly understood." In the words of St. Augustine, "I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe."

Ephesians 1:15–20 

"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places"

CCC 159 "Faith and science: "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth."

Romans 1:19–20 

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made."

 "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."

Hebrews 11:3

"By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear."

CCC 160 "To be human, "man's response to God by faith must be free, and. . . therefore nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act of faith is of its very nature a free act." "God calls men to serve him in spirit and in truth. Consequently they are bound to him in conscience, but not coerced. . . This fact received its fullest manifestation in Christ Jesus." Indeed, Christ invited people to faith and conversion, but never coerced them. "For he bore witness to the truth but refused to use force to impose it on those who spoke against it. 

John 6:51–69

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.” This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. 

Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 

After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

His kingdom. . . grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the cross, draws men to himself."

John 12:32–33 

"and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show by what death he was to die"

John 18:37 

"Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.”

CCC 161 "Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.42 

John 3:36

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him."

John 6:40

"For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

"Since "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"

Hebrews 11:5–6 

"Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Matthew 10:21–22 

"Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."

CCC 162 "Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man. We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to St. Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:18–19 

"This charge I commit to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophetic utterances which pointed to you, that inspired by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith"

Romans 11:22

"Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off."

Hebrews 10:26–31

"For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith;

Mark 9:20–24 

"And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Luke 17:5–6

"The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."

Luke 22:31–32 

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”

"it must be "working through charity," abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church."

Galatians 5:5–6 

For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love."

Romans 15:13 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

James 2:14–26

"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 

But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead."