Virtues of Character

Faith

Faith makes us to know God. Faith is an act of the mind. It is the acceptance that Jesus Christ is God’s revelation of Himself to us. It looks at Jesus and listens to Him, especially in His Word. Faith is really about listening to God. It recognizes that He is the way to our true goal, the truth about that goal and the fullness of life in enjoying that goal. Now all this presupposes that one is open to the gift of faith, or willing to be opened up to it and this may not come easy. This is especially true today when it is much easier (or intellectually lazier, even) to doubt, to remain sceptical. There are signs that point the way to faith, but these are obscured by counter signs: just as the Church numbers among its members great saints, it also numbers amongst them great sinners. Other signs that can open one up to the gift include the awesome power and beauty of creation, the sense of incompletion that drives the thirst for justice and the itching curiosity that continually seeks out the truth and will not be satisfied with anything less. In fact our lives seem hardwired for this.

Christianity adds to this very natural, human quest reasons for living it. As Christians we live in a world which makes sense because it comes to us as a loving gift from God who is with us in our struggles. He became man and lived among us, showing us what it means to be fully human, rather than partially so. In Christ He showed us our possibilities and, by contrast, our limitations, especially without His help. He showed us that holiness is about being willing to sacrifice oneself for the good of others, especially our enemies. Love is revealed in Christ on the cross; we see what it can accomplish in the resurrection – eternal life.

Faith is also an act of the will: to believe one must want to believe, and to be prepared to work at it through prayer and reflection. Questioning one’s faith is important – it is never a blind impulse of the mind. In fact, faith can be nourished and strengthened by questioning, just as it can wither and die without it; or, more precisely, without listening to the responses to the questions. Faith holds fast to what has been revealed by trustworthy witnesses and reveals itself in actions that imitate them. It seeks, above all, union with God and knows that man’s fullest happiness lies in Him. It looks at humanity and recognises that the true goal of all human life lies beyond what we can see and in the beatific vision, union with God. It is an acceptance that the true goal of man lays outside himself, outside of space, outside of time and outside of the way things currently look. We recognise that there is a purpose to this world and to natural life that stretches out beyond what we are capable of seeing and beyond ourselves and we seek to harmonize ourselves with this purpose – we recognise that it’s not all about us.

This is the height of spiritual maturity. In faith we recognise our limitations and recognise our potential as life-givers. More importantly, we recognise that this beautiful world and our very lives are astonishing gifts that we wish to give thanks for. This is where worship comes from and a sense of responsibility for the wonderful gifts that have been given. To have faith is to seek out what helps us on the way, and to intuitively avoid things that are incompatible with its final goal: God.