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Faith That Takes A Stand By HG Bishop Moussa
Published by Stbishoy on 2007/10/11 (3270 reads)
Faith That Takes A Stand
Our Lord said: "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"( Lk. 18:8). The Lord does not mean just any faith but the faith (with the definite article). Humans all have a natural faith, unclear and obscure faith. "Even the demons believe --- and tremble." (Jas. 2: 19). The faith that our Glorious Lord is talking about is an optional and special faith which we hope to learn about in this article. The ffb re are, in fact, three types of faiths, and maybe even three stages also.
1. Natural Faith: Primitive man felt in the depths of his being that he was weak and that he needed an external power to protect him. Or he felt the need for a source of good to satisfy him, or he experienced fear of an external power that controlled his life and death. Hence, man began to worship the sun, the moon, the sea, cows, savage beasts and so on As for civilized man, he began to be in pain because of his psyche, his mind, or his morals. The cries of Neitsche, the concepts of Marx, and the spurious freedom of Sartre are probably all modern gods in our civilized era. All of them show us glimpses of their depths that indicate the human desire for a good and powerful being who saves mankind from their weaknesses, their fears, and their failings. Therefore, "there is not even one atheist" as St. Augustine says.
The following are some quotations that indicate this:
We perceive man’s confusion in these quotations, for as he tries to find himself, he imagines that doing away with God is the only solution. The Lord, in His love and tenderness, is still perfectly willing to reveal Himself to the humble "he who loves Me ..... I will manifest Myself unto him."(Jn. 14: 21).
2. Rational Faith: Faith is the microscope that helps our limited and finite eye ffb s (or our brains) to perceive what is beyond its limits. God is the telescope that we put to our eyes to help us see what is beyond our naked vision. That is why every attempt to explain the truths of faith in purely rational terms elevates the mind to the level of critiquing and limiting faith. All attempts to simplify the truths of faith so that they can be understood and assimilated by the natural brain is a distortion of them. God is revealed only to the humble mind that is enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Moreover, unless the truths of faith that we perceive through the Holy Spirit and in which we rest are converted into real and daily action that changes our lives and behavior, and into an assurance that is apparent in the difficulties of life and reality, we well not benefit from this theoretical faith and will not be saved. Hence, we encourage a humble dialogue with the truth to reveal the truth,
rather than promoting the simplification of the truths of faith so that they are
easy enough for the natural brain to assimilate.
3. Experiential Faith: Faith holds onto God and does not let go. It has a foretaste of the joys of heaven and feels that there is a real and living relationship between the soul and God. It is the faith of the Virgin that contradicted Her reason, but through it She understood the possibility of a Immaculate Conception and so submitted with joy and thanksgiving. It is the faith of Joshua, son of Nun, who ordered the priests to "wash their feet in the overflowing waters of the Jordan as though they were no longer waters, but rock..." . And so it was. It is the faith of St. Abram, who used to spend the last penny in his pocket, confident that God would send at the right time! Do we have this faith, the faith that takes a stand? When we enter into thick darkness, or have pressing trouble, are we at rest and secure in the Divine Hand that supports us without our feeling it? When we experience the bitterness of defeat, do we accept it from the loving hand of an Omnipotent God, confident that His hand only gives us what is good? When sin enslaves us, do we shake off the dust and ask the Spirit of God to "come and dwell in us", and are we full of faith that He does? When we suffer material or moral losses, do our spirits fail within us or are we silent, saying: God’s will be done; this is all for our good? What is the extent of our experience of a living personal loving God Who
sticks closer than a brother, and Who is more
powerful and greater than the universe? He intervenes in
our personal lives in the right way which frequently contradicts our own ideas
and our individual moods.
My young brother, Give Him everything you hold dear:
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