Faith and Peace

by David Lins  |  06/09/2019  |  (Being) Catholic Matters

I was speaking with a self-described hoarder recently. She said she wants to get rid of stuff, but then the thoughts of “what if” start flooding her mind. When she moved into her last home, it came with several appliances. She now owned two microwaves and two range ovens. Instead of selling or donating one of each, she kept the extras in her garage in case the other one broke down. This idea that she might need something someday has spread to every corridor of her life and every room in her home.

She finally looked at me and said, “I think I just suffer from a lack of faith.”

The great thing about a lack of faith is how easy it is to diagnose. The exhibiting symptom of a faith deficiency is a lack of peace. Jesus longs for us to have faith so we can know peace.

When the disciples are smacked with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, their faith is increased. What happens? They were at peace and no longer afraid of earthly consequences.

Jesus said to his disciples more than once, “Peace be with you.”

Please do not misunderstand me. Faith shouldn’t be used as an excuse to avoid asking, or answering, the tough questions. I had a conversation with a good man this week who gets frustrated when people dismiss his questions with a bumper sticker of “Well, just ask for more faith.” I don’t blame him.

While ‘more faith’ is never a bad thing to ask for, understanding isn’t either. We should all thirst for a deeper understanding of God. And just because the person you ask about God doesn’t have a satisfactory answer, it doesn’t mean a satisfactory answer doesn’t exist. Just find a more educated source.

I could ask an elementary teacher friend of mine about rocket science. She might not know very much. It doesn’t mean rocket science is bogus. I just should have asked my friend who worked at Raytheon Missile Systems before moving on to Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

We try to be like Christ despite understanding we will never be perfect. In the same way, we must try to continuously understand more about our Faith, recognizing there will always be more. The hard part is being at peace with that reality. Which is where faith comes in.

Questions? Comments? Email David at dlins@oloj.org.

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