The Context of Faith

04-26-2015Weekly ReflectionFr. Will Schmid

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last week we pondered the object of faith and discovered that Jesus Christ was at the heart and center. We learned that Christianity is not so much a code of ethics or a collection of beliefs, but a trust fall of our entire lives into the arms of the Person of Jesus. This week, let us continue our reflection on faith and spend some time discerning the context of faith.

As we all know, faith is a profoundly personal reality. This is emphasized in the profession of faith made during the Easter season and at baptisms. As many of you have experienced, at special times and during special celebrations, the Church uses a profession of faith formula that involves three personal responses." It divides the creed into three parts and asks the people present to respond with "I do" to each of them.

The reason for this formula is to demonstrate concretely the personal nature of the faith commitment. The three-fold "I do" proclamation of the faith is an opportunity for me to state how faith in Jesus Christ has caused a personal conversion in my life and has reformed and redirected my entire person. It is a way of publically announcing that I am different because of my experience of Christ.

However, although faith is a personal commitment made by the individual believer, it is also a communal reality that cannot be separated from the entire body of believers: the Church. One of the beautiful truths of the Christian faith is that no one believes by oneself. Faith is a way of knowing through witness. We are able to follow Christ, only because someone has given us an opportunity to encounter Christ. Without this witness, there would be no faith. Pope Benedict XVI once said, "Our faith is truly personal only if it is also communal: it can be my faith only if it dwells in and moves with the 'we' of the Church, only if it is our faith, the common faith of the one Church."

God has revealed Himself to us as a Trinitarian communion of Persons. Since we are made in His image and likeness, we make up a community of believers. The faith can only be understood in the context of this community. A mere personal faith in Jesus Christ is incomprehensible. Without the communal dimension of the faith, I cannot be drawn out of the "I" enclosed in myself and be open to the love of God that I am called to encounter in others.

This is why the communal celebration of the faith is necessary. God's nature as love is communal. Thus, our nature in His love must also be communal. The Church is the proper context for faith. It is where we are called and enabled to experience and live the reality of our nature as a reflection of God's Trinitarian love. Without the Church, our understanding of faith is severely limited and even debilitated.

The local parish is the heart of Catholic life because it is where the local Catholic community gathers as one body of believers. The local parish should be like a second home for us.

There are so many ways to be involved at St. Mary Magdalene Parish. If you have been away from the faith or have recently moved or transferred to our parish and would like to get more involved, please stop by and visit with us. We long to make a gift of ourselves to you so that you may grow and mature in your and our faith.

Peace in Christ,
Fr. Will

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