Examining our Tenure of Faith through God

Examining our Tenure of Faith

The very word faith opens a whole new manner of understanding our own intellect, our belief in something we do not see, and the possibility that there is a whole universe of hidden probabilities that we may never encounter.  But again, it is this mystical existence that God has placed before us to search and discover who he is and the reason he created our wandering minds to know him in our humanity.

When each of us begins to become a member of a church the first set of instructions tells us to learn what faith is and believe in its basic truth.  That’s why we have Creeds that we use to remind us about God and his Truth that we will adhere to,

We begin our profession of faith by saying: “I believe” or “We believe.”  Before expounding the Church’s faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy, and lived in observance of God’s commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what “to believe” means.  Faith is man’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life.  Thus we shall consider first that search, then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man, and finally the response of faith.  (CCC 26).  

Many of us have experienced a dilemma in trusting our faith, especially when it is challenged, when a situation arises in any circumstance that we are expected to follow through using our talents and suddenly the preparation we had prepared disappears.  Does faith even become a reality that we should rely upon?  

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.  Already as we begin to recite this Creed the very words remind us that there is more to expressing our faith than just memorized words; it is a Truth that we vocally adhere to as our faith becomes real in conjunction with our Creator, God.  (first stanza of The Nicene Creed).    

Whenever any one of us is challenged by a slip of memory or some doubt that might interfere with a duty that is our task, we need to reach back into our minds and find that relevant teaching that we must have to accomplish our required expertise.  

Man’s faculties make him capable of coming to a knowledge of the existence of a personal God.  But for man to be able to enter into real intimacy with him, God willed both to reveal himself to man and to give him the grace of being able to welcome this revelation in faith.  The proofs of God’s existence, however, can predispose one to faith and help one to see that faith is not opposed to reason.  (CCC 35).

To experience what this tenure is all about one must have gone through a period of nearly giving up to a mission that must be delivered.  As I mentioned before, a trial of depending on faith but not realizing it at first might sustain this article’s premise.

As mentioned before I never wrote my homilies, but was always prepared to preach by studying and going over my words the week before speaking.  One Sunday morning, as usual, I went over the readings in the Lectionary to refresh my memory.  This Sunday morning however, I could not remember what I was going to say.  In spite of seeking a word from the Holy Spirit my mind remained blank until I was standing at the microphone, completely at a loss of what was about to occur.   I took the microphone off the stand and the words just flowed.  After I sat down next to the priest he told me it was very well done.  I had no idea what I said in my homily.   Upon arriving home and walking in the house, I looked up and said; “What are you doing to me?”  A voice spoke very clearly that I will never forget;  “You’re always talking about faith, today I tested yours.”  There I discovered the reality of faith and lived with its tenure for me.

Ralph B. Hathaway