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Dear Friend, When we launched our “radical solution to our nation’s problems” in last week’s email, we made the case that we can only restore our country by a return to virtue. Virtue is a project that begins with us – each individual soul must strive for a rebirth of virtue within himself if we are to renew our society and be a nation of virtue once again. But since the theological virtues come from God alone, we’re saying something more profound: we are really saying that only God can save us! All human virtues “are rooted in the theological virtues” – Faith, Hope, and Charity – which, in turn are “the foundation of Christian moral activity”, says our Catechism (CCC, 1812)
We must, therefore, constantly ask God to give us these virtues.
The theological virtues cannot be obtained by human effort. The Virtue of Faith With this in mind, let us today ask for the first of the theological virtues, Faith, and examine its dynamism in our lives. First of all, Faith is an intellectual virtue. It is rooted in the mind and is an intellectual assent to what God has revealed. The mind accepts God’s existence as true and gives credence to the Word He pronounces (through scripture and doctrine), even though we might not fully understand everything that is revealed. St. Anselm said that theology (which includes our basic learning of the catechism) is “Faith seeking understanding”. Faith does not require a full understanding of everything that God has revealed. It is simply the acknowledgement of God and His Word as true. But this is also why Faith demands regular study. C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity that “we have to be continuously reminded of what we believe.” Even though Faith is a gift of God, it is a gift that grows with our efforts to understand the things of God and His will for our lives. The Value of Faith The real value of Faith is that it is the key that opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. St. Paul said it best: “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). Certain other passages about Faith we also ought to pay attention to. Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” God is very pleased by our belief in Him and His truth! Then, John’s Gospel explicitly connects Faith with eternal life: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). In other words, there is hardly a more vital and necessary force of good in this world than the virtue of Faith. When one becomes an authentic believer and nurtures this gift; when he studies and pursues understanding of the things of Faith, he gains a new experience of the world. No longer is the world a flat place composed only of molecules and atoms, or just a forum for business transactions and disputes over material things. With Faith, the world becomes a place of wonder, a lens through which God reveals Himself to us. Faith opens us up to wider dimensions of reality because it takes our eyes off the earth and raise them to the stars. It’s pretty evident that the chaos taking place in some of the major cities of America today is happening because the rioters operate from a worldview that is devoid of eternity. There is no humanity, no joy, no generosity in these movements and their perpetrators: there is only destruction. The Creativity of Faith Faith is also a creative force in the world. Those who offer their gifts back to God in service of others often have a positive impact on the world that far outweighs even their own natural gifts. It is a well-known fact that one of the greatest musical composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach, penned “All for the glory of God” on the top of every musical score he ever composed. Yes, he was a man of consummate musical genius in a natural sense, but his Faith motivated everything he did with his talent. The same is true for everyone whose work and actions flow out of a belief that God has given him some particular vocation. We do not need to produce the toccatas and fugues of J.S. Bach to imbue our lives and actions with Faith. We simply need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God over everything we do – and then offer it all back to Him. This leads us to the final, and vitally important, element of Faith: it must be shared. The Catechism says that “the disciple of Christ must not only keep the Faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it” (CCC, 1816). Faith Changes the World Does your Faith impact the world around you? Do you hand on the truths of Faith to others, especially your children? If someone entered your home, your workplace, even your car (!), would they know that they are in the presence of a believing and fervent Christian? As His final command to His disciples before He ascended into heaven, the Lord told them to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Faith must be shared if it is to change the world. The Rock Let us end with a final story of Faith, which is truly astounding and a reminder to us of how important the theological virtue of Faith is for our lives. When the famed coach of Notre Dame football, Knute Rockne, perished in an airplane accident in 1930, his body was burned beyond recognition, except for one part: his right hand. Clutched in that hand, as his last testament of Faith, was a Rosary. Please stay tuned for next week’s installment: The theological virtue of hope.
And please pray for us as we pray for you and your families! Your friend in Jesus and Mary, Thomas J. McKenna
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