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the lunches were pretty substantial—not just a snack. It seems there was always a party or two during Lent and typically the room mothers would have been of the Lutheran faith. Even though their church did not require abstinence from meat on Fridays, they never forgot that the little Catholic kids would need special consideration and they went to the extra effort of providing egg salad for us so that we would not be left out when the plate of sandwiches was passed. It was a kindness that I have never forgotten.4

      Head and Heart

      John of the Cross advises: “Faith lies beyond all understanding, taste, feeling, and imagining that one has. However impressive may be one’s knowledge or feeling of God, that knowledge or feeling will have no resemblance to God and amounts to very little. To attain union with God, a person should neither advance by understanding, nor by support of one’s own experience, but by belief in God’s being.” Faith declares what the senses do not perceive. We believe what we do not see and in the end we will be rewarded by what we have believed. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29). David Spangle tells us: “Faith, to me, is the capacity to be open to the intangible, invisible domains of life. It is the ability to be comfortable in the presence of mystery. It is the willingness to go where the senses cannot always take us, to appreciate and be open to the realm of energy and spirit. Faith creates an open space in which the unexpected, the unpredicted, and often the most essential can appear and become known.”

      When Christians pass through the door of faith, they enter the highest realm of their existence: the spiritual life with the Triune God as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. God is our Father who created us. Jesus is his son who shows us the way to the Father. The Holy Spirit helps us along this way. And at the end of this earthly sojourn we enter into eternal life. Faith forms a heart into a sanctuary because it is the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity. We can visit this sanctuary and see the fire of faith still burning. These little visits can keep our lamp of faith alight when we are working, studying, eating or resting.

      It is more important to believe than to understand. Too much conversation can dilute the mysteries of faith. Excessive explanation can reduce the richness in the symbols of faith. If someone stops to explain the why behind the lighting of the candles at Mass, when this is taking place, it stops the graceful flow of this ritual. To reverently complete the ritual and trust that the ritual will give its own teaching, will not disturb the beauty of the moment. An explanation can be given after Mass. Talking about something cannot take the place of living it. Faith is more authentic when it is the key to life, rather than the subject for dialogue.

      Thomas Merton tells us, “Ultimately, faith is the only key to the universe. The final meaning of human existence, and the answers to the questions on which all our happiness depends cannot be found in any other way.” When faith matures, questions about Christian beliefs are replaced with a wonderment in the mystery of God and the beauty of his truth. A sense of awe replaces a relentless search for that which is unknown or not understood. New manifestations of the mystery of God are not seen as a source of pride but as a deepening in humility. The truths of faith are beyond human cognition and will only be fully understood in heaven. The limits of knowledge are not roadblocks to knowing God better. Intellectual ability can become a source of pride. Rationalization justifies thoughts and conduct through human reasoning alone. Therefore, it can lead to justifying erroneous thinking, producing good reasons to do bad things, or good reasons for not doing good things we are supposed to do. Mature faith is not based on great intelligence or noteworthy scholarship. It is based on assiduous prayer and belief in the truths and mystery of the Triune God.

      Over a hundred years ago, a university student was walking through a quiet park. He saw an elderly man sitting on a bench alone and sat down next to him. The elderly man was praying the rosary, moving the beads with his fingers. “Sir, do you still believe in such outdated things?” asked the student of the old man. “Yes, I do. Do you not?” asked the man. The student burst out laughing and said, “I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the rosary away and learn what science has to say.” “Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me.” The student saw that the man was deeply moved. So to avoid hurting the feelings of this man he said: “Please give me your address and I will send you some literature.” The man fumbled in the inside pocket of his coat and gave the student his visiting card. On glancing at the card, the student bowed his head and became silent. On the card he read: Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute of Scientific Research, Paris.

      Faith rises above the limits of that which is known and into the realms where intelligence cannot go. Loving God is greater than knowledge about God because God’s love is greater than what we are able to know. It seems incomplete to describe Jesus within the boundaries of human thoughts, culture and language. Metaphors and allegories fall short. Letting loose of attempts to explain God assists in surrendering to his tremendous mystery. Angela of Foligno, a thirteenth-century Franciscan Italian mystic wrote: “I have known with certitude that the more one has a sense of God the less one can speak of God. The more one has the feeling of infinity and the ineffable the more one lacks words for it.” Faith elevates a Christian to greater goodness and helps maintain a pristine soul. There is no love or hope without faith. Faith is the root of good works, which flowers in love through the fruit of action. Indeed, faith in the Catholic tradition is the keystone for a very good life.

      Faith of our fathers living still,

      In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;

      O how our hearts beat high with joy

      Whenever we hear that glorious word:

      Faith of our fathers, holy faith,

      We will be true to thee till death.

      Our fathers chained in prisons dark,

      Were still in heart and conscious free,

      And blest would be their children’s fate,

      If they, like them, should die for thee:

      Faith of our fathers holy faith,

      We will be true to thee till death.

      Faith of our fathers! We will love

      Both friend and foe in all our strife;

      And preach thee, too, as love knows how,

      By kindly words and virtuous life:

      Faith of our fathers, holy faith,

      We will be true to thee till death.

      ~Frederick William Faber

      (1814–1863)

      Twilight Times

      The gift of faith includes mystery, which is so necessary when seeking God in positive or negative life situations. To focus on the light of God’s truth and the hope of heaven while walking through the shadows is an enormous blessing. Faith reassures us that God is with us even when we walk through a seemingly trackless wasteland. When out of sorts for one reason or another, there is peace in the fact that this shall pass. Faith is an energizer that strives to uniquely reflect the image and likeness of God in all of life’s circumstances. When we ponder his love and mercy, how little we know! Thinking about his greatness and majesty keeps the concerns of life in their proper perspective.

      “Faith is a gift from God allowing us to enter peacefully into the dark night which faces every one of us at one time or another. Faith is at peace, and full of light. Faith celebrates the very warp and woof of one’s existence. Faith considers that its precariousness and its finiteness are but the womb in which it abides, moving toward the plenitude and fullness of the eternity which it desires and believes in and which revelation opens to it.” So wrote Catherine de Hueck Doherty. Faith is a stronghold when suffering shakes up our lives. With faith, there is a certain peace in suffering because faith deepens love and unites our personal suffering with Jesus’ suffering. Grace keeps us moving along the bumpy road of life. God is not responsible for adverse events along this road. His goodness is found through these events when they teach us humility, forgiveness and repentance. How sweet are the ways of faith.

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