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I would imagine most of us have had the experience of going to a parish picnic here in St. Louis at some point in our lives. You know the type, with game booths, chicken dinners, and of course, carnival rides. As a child, I couldn’t wait to get on these flashy, metal marvels; as an adult my thoughts have become things like, “how recently did I update my will?”and “who is my emergency contact?” On several occasions, wanting to be the fun priest, I’ve allowed myself to get on some of the rides. Waiting for them to start, I have been moved to deep, philosophical thoughts, mostly involving faith. I can’t help but acknowledge the tremendous amount of trust I am putting in some latches, a lap bar, and two carnival workers named Bubba and Squawker, who man the controls and will be in a different city the next day. Now, don’t get me wrong, these thoughts didn’t stop me from being flung around and re-aligning my spine, but I think it can give us good reason to stop and ponder the role of faith in our lives.
We practice some level of faith each and every day, even if we are not necessarily a religious person. It is impossible to function in any meaningful way without a basic trust in certain rules and norms. Think of the constant faith we put in all sorts of people and things. We trust the roads we travel on and the many different bridges we cross to be safe and stable. We have faith in in other drivers; that they will stay in their lane, stop at red lights and go in the proper direction of traffic. We trust that the money we receive at the store, from the bank, or from others is genuine and not counterfeit, That the lights will go on when we flip the switch and countless other examples. In other words, we make use of faith often, in little and large ways every day so we can be people who are happy, productive, and sane. Often we practice these sort of faith subconsciously, hoping for the best but not really sure of the ultimate result.
But this sort of faith and trust is an incomplete version of what we are called to and capable of in our relationship with God. The faith described in our second reading, displayed in the life of Abraham, shows us what is possible. For many of us, faith is simply what we believe, a sort of blind trust, something internal that lives mostly in our mind. How many times have we heard a politician or public figure mention their faith but then quickly qualify that it is separate from their decision-making and policy choices. Don’t we all have those moments where we believe one thing but project something different around others to avoid a heated discussion or an uncomfortable moment.
Faith for the Christian is indeed what we believe; in a few moments we will profess the essentials in our creed. But it must also be external and apparent. It cannot remain hidden. A living faith shows itself in our actions and priorities. It is not a stagnant body of dogmas but a dynamic relationship with God and his Church. That means that it grows, changes, and deepens over time. Or at least it should!
This is why Abraham is our father in faith. He professed belief in God but then he also backed it up in his actions. When God said it was time to move to a foreign land, he did it. When God told him he would become a father as an old man, he believed. When God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son, he was even willing to let go of his most precious gift. What he believed and what he did were in perfect alignment!
Let us then look at our own faith and the choices we make. Does it match up with the actual decisions and priorities of our lives? Can someone look at our actions, our choices, and conclude that we believe in eternal life? Or would they see us completely focused on the here and now, consumed by materialism and greed, as if this life was the only thing that mattered? We may believe we love our family and treat others with dignity and respect. But if we seldom spend quality time with them because our work or our phone or our hobbies or personal comfort come first, what do we actually believe in? We might say we believe in the power of prayer and that God loves us and listens to us. But if we seldom pray and come to Mass, what then do we actually believe? It is not enough to simply believe in something; that belief must manifest itself in how we act and what we choose. We can go back to that beautiful summary of faith from our second reading, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” That translation is pretty good but the word “realization” is not quite right. Instead, use pursuit. Faith is the pursuit of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Ultimately, what we pursue is what we believe in. Can we honestly say that it is God and his kingdom? Or is it something else?
Last of all, faith is a relationship. Our faith in God is not simply a set of beliefs or a list of teachings, but ultimately trust in another person, a Divine person who is utterly dependable and loving. Like any other meaningful relationship, faith takes constant work and investment of ourselves. If we wish to have faith in God and in the things that matter to him, we must never stop learning more about him and what brings him joy. For many Catholics, their faith stopped developing after grade school, high school, or college and that relationship has grown stagnant. Fr. Mike Schmidt uses a great analogy; he says our faith is not a crockpot; we cannot just set it and forget it! Just as we work to grow in love for our friends and family every day, year after year, so too with God. We cannot say, “Lord, I already told you I loved you and trusted you before, why do I have to do it again and again?” Imagine if a husband said that to his wife! “I said I loved you on our wedding day and if anything changes, I will let you know.” This sort of thing doesn’t work with our human relationships and it won’t work with our spiritual ones either!
As we reflect on faith, let’s make sure we marvel at the fact that the God of heaven and earth wants a unique and personal relationship with each of us. No one is excluded from that friendship. What Abraham received from the Lord is offered to us as well. What makes that life-giving relationship possible is our faith, a faith that pursues what is hoped for and is yet unseen. May our faith be evident in our actions and choices and manifested in a friendship with God that is ever growing and deepening. Then we will look forward to Lord’s return, knowing that we will be counted as his good and faithful servants.
