PART 1:  FAITH – A JOURNEY THROUGH THE CATECHISM WITH ST. PAUL AND THE CHURCH FATHERS

All of us are on a search for meaning.  This search for deeper meaning is a quest we all embark on, one way or another.  Many of us know that meaning will be found in God.  We search for God. Just knowing we are searching for God puts us at the front of the race. The Catechism has a chapter about faith, it is called “I Believe.”  It begins:

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for…He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator. (Catechism, 27, accessed 8-19-2023)

WHAT IS FAITH?

St. Paul makes what seems to be a simple statement: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Although this is a most beautiful quote, it does little to explain the mystery of faith.

The Catechism goes further: 

By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God…  Faith is first of all, a personal adherence of man to God…a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. (Catechism, 143, 150)

WHO SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN?  

St. Paul tells us Who is the object of our faith in Galatians 2:20:  “I live by faith in the Son of God, Who has loved me and given Himself up for me.” Further, he says that we should keep “our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NCB).

HOW CAN WE BELIEVE?  

The Catechism tells us that 

One cannot believe in Jesus Christ without sharing in His Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who reveals to men Who Jesus is. For “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3 cited in Catechism, 152, accessed 8-19-2023)

Further, St. Paul states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). And St. Clement of Rome tells us: 

So we, having been called through His will in Christ Jesus, we’re not justified through ourselves or through our own wisdom or understanding or piety or works which we wrought in holiness of heart, but through faith, whereby the almighty God justified all men.  (Catholic Answers, accessed 8-19-2023)

FAITH NOT BY SIGHT OR REASON

In 2 Corinthians 5:7, St. Paul directs us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” And also in 1 Corinthians 2:5 he says, “So that your faith might rest not on human wisdom, but on the power of God.”  Pope Pius IV discusses faith versus reason, and this is included in the Catechism:

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.” (Catechism, 156, accessed 8-19-2023)

Look for more on the topic of faith in part 2 of this article later this week.

References:

Catholic Answers: What the Early Church Believed: “Faith and Works,” accessed 8-19-2023, https://www.catholic.com/tract/what-the-early-church-believed-faith-and-works)

Holy Bible: All quotes from New American Bible Revised Edition unless otherwise noted

USCCB, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1.1.3, accessed 8-19-2023, https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/catechism/#!/search/1.1.3