I have a question for you to which I would request that you give a special thought: If you had to describe your faith to someone, what would you say? I’m not asking about your religion. I mean your faith. What do you believe? What is your strongest conviction? Would you spend some time today to write down in one sentence the summary of the faith that guides you which can be posted on your doorpost or written on your tombstone.
For Abraham and for me, it is extremely simple: “I believe in a personal God who guides my life.” Shortly, all of us will be reciting our true and fundamental constitution called the “Creed.” But saying “I believe in one God…” is very simple; living it is another question all together. For Abraham, and yes, for me, it means putting one’s trust, one’s very life in the hands of God—even without understanding much and knowing even less. So, Abraham, like me, would do what would seem impossible to so many: picking up and moving to a foreign land, not on a business trip, or a visit to a friend, but actually leaving everything behind to start life anew. Why would someone do that? Abraham did it because he believed that God wanted him to. For me, it is because I believe there’s someone to whom I have surrendered my life. I am like clay in His hand, molded as He desires. And that fits the definition of faith given in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
Someone told me that she was an agnostic because she doesn’t believe what she can’t see. I said: “You sure do believe what you don’t see. You do believe in electricity though you don’t see it. At best, you see its effects. You believe in the wind, gravity, and life itself. You believe in love, truth, goodness, and evil though you can’t see, feel or touch them.” These concepts are intangible mysteries that are so real that we do not bother to ask where they are, but we know and believe them. Seeing is believing is not only a poor theology, it is also poor physics and especially, a poor excuse for unbelief.
The lazy theology of the modern mindset is that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are nice. And anything can qualify as “nice.” Yet, nice is an intangible construct that has to be deconstructed according to a person’s perceptions, and hardly based on objective truth. Hence, you can steal from your company, the public purse, or your parents; and if you’re shrewd enough not to be caught, you can qualify as nice. You can lie, twist, hide evidence; once you have the media on your side, you can still be a nice person and even run for and become a president. Somehow, we’ve got to the point where we view all paths as equal; one belief system as good as any other—as long as no one gets hurt. The reality is that what we believe, what we hold dear can have, and always would have a profound impact on who we are, how we see the world, what we do, the choices we make—good or bad, right or wrong.
Consider some of these people who have expressed strong convictions: Islamic extremists, animal rights activists, the gay/trans lobby, gang members, Pro-lifers, Mother Teresa. If you think that these groups or persons have not impacted society positively or negatively, you need some dose of reality meds.
Faith is a journey; a whole way of living and being, which for us started at baptism and would continue through life. It’s a wild adventure filled with joys, obstacles and challenges for which we need a lamp along the way. The Church carries that lamp and is our guide. It does matter which way or guardian or vehicle you choose because the right direction to Dallas from McAlester is south. If you think yourself broadminded and choose to go east, that would take you through mountains, a couple of oceans, deserts, and lots of frustration, namely —hell. Christ is your true guide whose voice is clearly heard in the Church.
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo