Catholic Apologetics Online

Choose a topic from Vol 2:

God

Man

Religion

The Religion of the Bible

The Christian Faith

A Definite Christian Faith

The Protestant Reformation

The Truth of Catholicism

The Church and the Bible

The Dogmas of the Church

The Church and Her Moral Teachings

The Church in Her Worship

The Church and Social Welfare

Comparative Study of Non-Catholic Denominations

To and From Rome

The divine gift of Faith

491. I have often longed for the faith possessed byCatholics.

If you have any faith in Christ at all, you can easily have thefaith possessed by Catholics. For it is only a question of findingout what Christ taught, and then letting your faith in Christextend to that also. For example, if you believe in Christ, andfind that the Catholic Church is the one He founded, your faith inHim includes faith in the Catholic Church. But I think your troubleis that you misunderstand faith, expecting far more than isrequired by it.

492. It is no use trying to make oneself believewhat one doesn't believe.

That exemplifies what I have just said. You imagine that you donot believe a thing unless you fully understand it, seeing all itsins and outs for yourself. But faith is not that. Faith is theacceptance of what Christ has said because He said it. If He tellsme that something is true which I would normally have thoughtincredible, I believe it. And if He but tells me the fact withoutdeigning to explain it to my full satisfaction, it will continue to baffle me. Yetthat does not diminish my belief in its reality. Instead of saying,"It is of no use to try to make myself believe what I do notbelieve," I rather say, "I believe what Christ teacheseven though I do not fully comprehend it."

493. Faith has to come to one, and until it does onecannot realise the truth.

It is true that faith in Christ and in all that He taught is agift of God. And this gift comes to one in answer to prayer. Butone has also to come to the faith. That is, one must not have themere wish, but the will to believe what Christ has taught. We arenot asked to realize, or visualize, or see the full significance ofwhat is proposed to us. That would be expecting too much, and isnot possible in this life. In such a case we would have"sight," not "faith." I cannot realize thatChrist is indeed really present in the Holy Eucharist. I believe itabsolutely, because He has said it. Had He not said it, I wouldhave no means of knowing it. I say this to warn you againstexpecting too much. Wrong and exaggerated ideas of what faith meanscould conceivably keep you still waiting for a faith you alreadypossess. The conviction that Christ is God and that the CatholicChurch is His one true Church, together with the will to accept theteachings of that Church and to obey its laws, are sufficientindications that one possesses the Catholic Faith.

494. If Catholicism does not conflict with soundreason and scientific facts, why is faith necessary?

Because what is believed by faith, though not against reason, isabove reason. When God reveals a truth known to Himself alone, andnot to be derived from a consideration of the created things aroundus, we do not know it as a conclusion of human reasoning nor as aconsequence of scientific study of created things. We know quitescientifically and historically that God has revealed it, but weknow that it is true solely because God has said so; and theconviction of its truth is due to faith in God's knowledge ofthe subject, and in His absolute veracity. Since revealed truth isabove that to be attained by reason and science, it demands inaddition to sane reasoning and scientific examination a deep faithin God's knowledge, veracity, and authority; for these are themotives impelling us to accept and believe the additionalinformation in question. So we Catholics accept all the conclusionsof sane reasoning; all established scientific facts; and all thedefined teachings of the Catholic Church.

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MORE FROM VOLUME 2

• About the Author
• Introduction
  - Rev. Charles Mortimer Carty
• Preface
  - John Gregory Murray
  Archbishop of Saint Paul
• Forward
  - Dr Leslie Rumble, MSC

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