“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things
not seen.” –Hebrews 11:1
If you were to look in my yearbook from senior year of high school,
you’d see this Scripture verse in the middle of my senior page. I remember
thinking that I wanted a verse in the middle of my page with the font bigger
than all the other texts so that people’s eyes were drawn to the passage. I
couldn’t think of a verse that I wanted to use, since I wasn’t too familiar
with Scripture at the time, so I asked God to pick one for me. I opened the
Bible and randomly stuck my finger in between the pages and landed on that
verse. God, in His providence, knew that this verse would be one that never
ceased to challenge me and other people of faith.
In a world and culture saturated in relativism, faith, like that of
Abraham, is desperately needed! We have such a gift within our Catholic faith,
which is constantly challenging and calling the faithful to live more radical
lives for Jesus Christ! I see this faith that Paul was writing about, becoming
more visible within the Church - with a similar passion and zeal - especially
in our young people! And to encourage this faith Pope Francis has come out with
an Encyclical Letter entitled, “Lumen
Fidei”, translated, Light of Faith.
This Letter finishes what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI began to write on
the Theological Virtues in Deus Caritas Est - God is Love -
and Spe Salvi - Saved in Hope.
The letter opens with a reflection of where faith has been and where
it is now in society:
“Our culture has lost its sense of God’s tangible presence and activity in our world. We think that God is to be found in the beyond, on another level of reality, far removed from our everyday relationships. But if this were the case, if God could not act in the world, his love would not be truly powerful, truly real, and thus not even true, a love capable of delivering the bliss that it promises. It would make no difference at all whether we believed in him or not. Christians, on the contrary, profess their faith in God’s tangible and powerful love which really does act in history and determines its final destiny: a love that can be encountered, a love fully revealed in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.” - Lumen Fidei (LF) 17
The further I read the more excited I got because this letter wasn’t
written by men who are disconnected, but rather very much in tune with the
spiritual state of our world and the areas in which we need the most
encouragement!
“…we need knowledge, we need truth, because without these we cannot stand firm, we cannot move forward. Faith without truth does not save, it does not provide a sure footing. It remains a beautiful story, the projection of our deep yearning for happiness, something capable of satisfying us to the extent that we are willing to deceive ourselves. Either that, or it is reduced to a lofty sentiment which bring consolation and cheer, yet remains prey to the vagaries of our spirit and the changing seasons, incapable of sustaining a steady journey through life.” – LF 24
Let us be reminded that “today more than ever, we need to be reminded
of this bond between faith and truth, given the crisis of truth in our age” (LF
25) and that “faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but
[rather] a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the
journey” (LF 57).
Praise God for the Chair of St. Peter and the ways that we are continually
guided by Our Holy Father, Pope Francis and those who have gone before him!
This
faith that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI began to write about and that which Pope
Francis finished with is a faith that I pray we all can have; one that inspires
and fortifies other Christian faithful around us!
Written by Alycia
