Our Faith

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” 

Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God?  Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us!” (Isaiah 7:10-14; 8-10)

Quite a sign!  A young woman will bear a son, and we will use that birth always to remind us that God is with us.  God is hard to define because the existence of God is based on belief and faith, although there is much evidence for that existence such as love between a married couple and their children.  Then came Jesus, that earth-walking manifestation of God and his commandment to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

Now we have the Christ to whom we can turn for that company; that is, God is with us as well as in us by virtue of the Holy Spirit.  This is our faith.

Regarding faith and according to Father Richard Rohr and Mike Morrell in their 2016 book "The Divine Dance:" “The Gospel doesn’t promise us complete clarity. If God wanted us to have irrefutable proof, the incarnation of Jesus would have been delayed until technology and science could confirm it.

Scriptures do not offer rational certitude. They offer us something much better, an entirely different way of knowing: an intimate relationship, a dark journey, a path where we must discover for ourselves that grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness are absolutely necessary for survival in an uncertain world. 

You only need enough clarity to know how to live without certitude! Yes, we really are saved by faith. People who live in this way never stop growing, are not easily defeated, are wise and compassionate, and frankly, are fun to live with. They have a quiet and confident joy. Infantile religion insists on certainty every step of the way and thus is not very happy.”

So this Lent and especially during this time of worldwide stress caused by the coronavirus, let’s remember we of faith are not easily defeated even in this uncertain world.

Deacon David Pierce