The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
The Obedience of Faith The obedience of faith is to be given to God who reveals, an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him. -Dei Verbum, no. 5
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Outline
Errors Regarding “Faith” What is Faith?
Faith is Personal and Communal Faith Seeks Understanding Faith is Necessary for Salvation Faith is a gift of Grace Faith is a Free Human Act
A Faith that Lives Challenges to Faith The Church’s Role
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Errors Regarding “Faith”
Fideism - maintains that faith is independent of reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths Rationalism - human reason, or understanding, is the sole source and final test of all truth Rejecting both rationalism and fideism, the Church teaches that human reason is capable (physical ability) of knowing the moral and religious truths of the natural order; that it can prove with certainty the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and can acknowledge most certainly the teaching of God; that, however, in the present conditions of life, it needs (of moral necessity) the help of revelation to acquire a sufficient knowledge of all the natural truths necessary to direct human life according to the precepts of natural religion. -(Conc. Vatic., "De Fide Cath.", cap. ii; cf. St. Thomas, "Cont. Gent.", Lib. I, c, iv).
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
What is Faith?
Heb 11:1 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is both a gift given from the Father and our response to this gift The Blessed Virgin Mary is the “model of faith” for the Church.
Immaculate conception (gift) Fiat (response)
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Faith is Personal and Communal
Faith is first of all a personal adherence … to God. It is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. -(CCC 150) Faith says “I believe in God” Apostle’s Creed (baptismal profession) Faith leads us to a personal relationship with the Blessed Trinity Faith is also communal and not just private Faith says “We believe in God” “Nicene Creed” (Mass)
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Faith Seeks Understanding
Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves. -Pope John Paul II (FIDES ET RATIO ) Faith and reason work together to discover truth Scholarly and scientific research that is carried out in a manner faithful to reason and to moral law will not conflict with truth as revealed by God. -(CCC 159)
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Faith is Necessary for Salvation
“Believing in Jesus Christ and the One who sent Him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.” -(CCC 161) Hebrews 11:6 It is impossible to please God without faith. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith…
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Faith is a gift of Grace
God not only speaks to us He gives us the grace to respond Eph 2:8-10 8 ...and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Matt 16:15-17 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Faith is a Free Human Act
God never forces His truth and love on us Jn 6:66-68 66 After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. 67 Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; Lk 1:38 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Faith Believes in a Message
Faith is not only a relationship with God but it also believes with conviction in a message 1 Thess 1:5 5 for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…. Faith is a assent of both the intellect and the will Faith is a way of knowing just as reason is
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
A Faith that Lives
We show that by our acts of trust in God that faith is a process of growth, day by day During this journey of faith there will times of brilliant light and times of deep darkness The ultimate goal of this faith pilgrimage is eternal union with God in heaven Through the gift and experience of faith, we are able not only to look ahead to what awaits us, but also to experience here some of God’s divine life, “a taste in advance” of our sharing life with Him forever. - CCC 163
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Challenges to Faith in America
The Enlightenment (Age of Reason)
Deism
Common sense and reason should be our only guides The Watchmaker God
Fruits of these two influences
Enlightenment = Faith has no place in the public square (“wall” of separation), scientific progress without moral bounds Deism = Ideological secularism that sees man as selfsufficient
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
The Church’s Role
The Church “the pillar and foundation” of truth, faithfully guards, “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. She guards the memory of Christ’s words; it is she who from generation to generation hands on the apostle’s confession of faith. - CCC 171 By faith we believe with conviction in all that is contained in the Word of God, written or handed down, which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed.
The Obedience of Faith
St. Joseph RCIA
Readings
Is 50:5-9a
Jas 2:14-18
The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. …. …So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead…
Mk 8:27-35
….At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” ….