"...choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" Joshua. 24:15.
"God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved though him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil" John 3:17-19
Gift versus choice
Two years ago in Loriga, Portugal, after a pilgrimage to the cemetery on November 1st and while still in the cemetery, I was chatting with a fellow countryman who said: "...you who believe feel comforted by faith, we non-believers do not have such comfort...". Later another friend also said to me:"...no matter what you do I just do not believe...".
We often refer to faith as a gift from God. St. Paul said, it is the Spirit inside of us who cries "Abba! Father!" (Rom. 8:15) Jesus said that it was He who chose us and not us Him (Jn. 15:16). If faith is a gift from God, why some have, and others do not? Is God unfair, who to some He gives while others He does not? Then is faith a gift or a choice, or is it both?
All that is from God, the initiative is his and hence faith is a gift; but a gift has no effect without our response, without our consent, therefore faith is also a choice. We are saved freely by the grace of God, by the means of faith. Faith is our response to the salvific grace of God.
In this sense faith is a roundtrip ticket; it is like a letter that God sends us, registered and with notification of receipt, which requires that I accept the letter and sign the document that accompanies it. Faith is like a blank cheque that God signs and sends to me; for this cheque to be of value, or serves me for something, I need to write on it a certain sum of money.
Salvation is a gift from God, the faith in this salvation is a free choice of man. Someone said that God feeds the birds in the air, but will not put the food in the nest, they must go out to get it.
On Sunday morning, the two saw the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene, and the apostle John; the first saw and thought that someone had stolen the body of the Lord, the second saw and believed that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Jesus rebuked and accused the people of his generation for their lack of faith (Matt. 17:17, Mk. 6:6, Lk. 24:25) as well as that of his disciples (Mk. 16:14). If faith were not a choice, and was just a gift from God, there would not have been any reason for such accusation from Jesus.
Jesus embittered because the Pharisees did not want to believe, not in John the Baptist, not in himself, weeps over Jerusalem and condemns the cities where many miracles were performed and yet did not believe; ultimately, he praises the little ones and the humble because unlike the wise, they believe and accept his message. (Matt. 11:16,27)
Faith is a reasonable giving in...
Reasonable not rational. If God exists, then He is the Creator of all things and of all; as created beings it is not logical that our mind can comprehend the mind of God; that the part can understand the whole. God can never be the subject of science, as matter of fact not even Man can be. On the other hand, the mystery does not only apply to God and to man, but it is also common to all areas of knowledge.
No science or area of knowledge can boast of having discovered everything there is to know in its field; the more it is known the more can be known; for this reason, the truly wise considers himself ignorant; Nicholas of Cusa called it the learned ignorance: facing the immensity of what there is to be known, I only know that I know nothing.
As is defined by the First Vatican Council, faith is a reasonable obligation; reasonable because, while the life of other living beings who inhabit this planet with us is governed by instinct, we, the descendants of Homo Sapiens govern our lives by reason; today despite, or precisely because, of the advances in science it is more logical, more plausible, more humanly believable the existence of God than his non-existence.
In addition of being reasonable faith is also an obligation because it can never be proven, can never be a scientific finding, will always be a step in the dark and in emptiness, a decision. After barely satisfying the criteria of reason, faith is a choice; some take the step beyond that which can be known; others do not risk, excessively cautious, waiting that reason fills them with measures and answers all their questions of what never happens nor will ever happen.
(...) The rich man insisted: 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment'. Abraham replied: 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them'. He said, 'No, Father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead'. (Lk. 16:27-31)
No one can blame God for not having given him the gift of faith. Only do not believe who is proud and idolize reason; only do not believe who do not want to take a step into the unknown outside reason; only those who do not venture who do not gain; only do not believe who doesn't want to.
"Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So, Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'" Matt. 14:28-31
Peter believed and risked and achieved...
Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC
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