FAITH - Part One of The Three Theological Virtues

This post is part one of three on the Three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, & Love.

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            We shall start with a few brief passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on virtue. These will serve as a foundation for this series of posts, as these descriptions offer a sound definition of virtue. We will be focusing on the theological virtue of faith:

A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. the virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. (CCC 1803)

The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature: for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object. (CCC 1812)

The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. (CCC 1813)

We depend so much on visible signs. If we can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel something, it is easier to accept it as a reality, as a truth. We can fully assent to the existence of something with little difficulty when we have physically experienced it in some way, even if it was just for a moment. We can also come to the acknowledgment of something unseen or unexperienced through the relations it has with something else that is seen or experienced. We are physical creatures, so we readily respond to what is physical.

            Our God is an invisible God. In His infinite glory and majesty, we, in our lowly nature, could never behold Him. But just as His glory is infinite so too is His goodness and mercy. He knows that on our own, we cannot begin to walk the path of faith alone. This is one of the many graces we receive at baptism, which enables us to embrace the truths that He reveals through His Church, Sacred Scripture, and Sacred Tradition. In His humble disguise, He reveals Himself fully, through Christ, under the species of bread and wine in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and He is reflected in all of the Sacraments which He instituted. God bestows His graces on us through the Sacraments. He takes our souls into His hands and guides us. They are our surest sign of the most profound and mysterious existence of our God, whom we will never fully understand in this life. Faith diminishes the profundity and mystery of God’s existence, not because it reveals it to us, but it allows us to accept our incapability of understanding it. Through faith, we are able to humble ourselves, in imitation of Christ’s humility, and realize the lowliness of our nature, placing all of our trust in God, Who we believe will raise us up.

            Faith is also an abyss of darkness. By way of it, we turn away from the dim light of our natural capacities to focus on a light so illuminating that we are blinded by it. The only reason we know it is there is because we cannot see it. The eyes of the intellect simply are not strong enough to behold the light of God. This darkness frees us from the tempting lights of the physical world, which repeatedly deceive us and draw us away from God. When these lights are removed, we, in the darkness of faith, patiently await a new and greater light. By emptying ourselves of it, we become open and more receptive to God’s love.

From time to time, we do end up with a little predicament. Faith, in and of itself, is not a visible thing. Perhaps it’s just another word that is thrown around a little too often. A figment of our imagination, if you will. Maybe more of a state of mind or an emotion. Or sometimes we may fall into the temptation of measuring faith based on feelings. This is a dangerous way of thinking because it will quickly lead us astray. Faith has little to nothing to do with feelings, rather it is a “...habitual and firm disposition to do the good.” In other words, it is a choice, which through God’s grace, we become able to choose. Habitual implies that there is a part of it that we are responsible for and that God permits us to partake in this work of deepening faith. Also, to an extent, we are in charge of disposing ourselves to things, though often with much difficulty.

            So, what does it all mean? Well, as St. James tells us “...faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (Jm. 2: 17). He tells us this because where there is true faith, works are not far behind. Faith disposes one to act upon it; faith demands a response. It is not something that we get and then sit around with it. Faith is not a trophy to be set aside, out of the way on a shelf somewhere and collect dust. When one accepts God’s grace and disposes oneself to faith, the virtue then disposes one to act. It is not something to be hidden, but rather, it must be shown, poured out in every aspect of one’s life. We are undeniably physical creatures, but we are spiritual as well, therefore, virtue, which has its source in the spirit, also communicates itself physically.

            What does this look like? How can we do this?

            First and foremost, the Sacraments! Through receiving and partaking in them, we respond to faith, bringing it into our lives and allowing it to shape us. They help us to better conform ourselves to God’s will, accept His graces, and grow in love for Him. We are acknowledging Someone much greater and experience God’s love in a profound way in the Sacraments when we receive them through the eyes of faith.

            We also practice the virtue of faith when we believe all that it proposes to us through the Church, which Christ established, and follow those laws that He has left to her. During His life on earth, He knew that if He were to just leave man, with only a remembrance of Him, he would quickly forget Christ’s work of salvation and His promise of eternal life. Christ has left us the Church to instruct us in faith and through her, He guides all the faithful closer to union with the Blessed Trinity.

            There are many other ways to practice faith, but one more will suffice for this. It is a beautiful way in which we can profess our faith in Christ Jesus in every moment, and quench His thirst for our love. And this is to find Him in others. Our God dwells in all of us at all times, our very existence depends on this, for He the giver of life. Who else are we speaking to then Jesus Christ, when we engage in conversations? Through our faith, we are incredibly blessed in that we can look beyond the exterior and see what dwells in the interior. Faith tells us that God is there, and we know this because how else would there be that life before our eyes? This is another way in which God allows us, in His goodness, to love Him. When you look at your neighbor, your spouse, your friend, your relative-look at Christ! He’s right there! Even when you look at yourself, there He is. Parents: when you feed, or clothe, or tend to your children, you are tending to the Christ Child. Caregivers: when you are assisting or comforting someone who suffers, you are tending to the Suffering Christ. These are just two basic examples, but it goes for anything. You are always interacting with Christ through others. Never forget that He is there; continually remind yourself. It is no easy task, for our brains are all over the place-well, at least mine is! In this way we can live out faith and follow in St. Paul’s footsteps: “...no longer I, but Christ living in me.” (Gal. 2:20)

            Faith is beautiful and we catch glimpses of this beauty in the actions and words that emanate from it.

            We will end with an Act of Faith. An Act of Faith is a way that we can bring to mind the virtue bestowed upon us at baptism and are little ways in which we can recall and renew our faith.

O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins
and that he will come  to judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches
because you have revealed them
who are eternal truth and wisdom, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
In this faith I intend to live and die. Amen.