When Faith Alone Can Take Us Forward

“If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.” Isaiah 7:9

One of the great treasures of the Catholic faith is the vast amount of wisdom and insight deposited in our Tradition. With thousands of years of the most brilliant of minds, the greatest of saints and the guidance of the Holy Spirit we find ourselves with a profound intellectual stockpile of nuanced answers and satisfying explanations to many of life's great mysteries.

Ironically, however, a central aspect of this wisdom is also the recognition of how limited our understanding actually is and how unfathomable Gods ways can be. This is not an abandonment of reason or an abdication to things too hard for us to understand but rather a simple recognition of the reality that we as human beings find ourselves in.

One of the great examples of this is the Old Testament story of Job. After having faced an array of unfair and painful hardships, Job finally questions Gods way of dealing with him and Gods response to Job is fascinating. Rather than having pity on Job he tells him to strengthen himself and to answer: Where were you when I [God] laid the foundations of the earth? and Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?

Despite the pain and the hardships, Job is faced with the reality that he simply is not in a position to question Gods ways with him. God does not owe Job an explanation for everything that is going on in his life and if God chooses not to reveal certain things to Job then Job’s option is simply to trust that that too is done in love and in the grander scheme of Gods wisdom.

This might seem harsh but there is also strength and wisdom to be discovered here. When we find ourselves in difficulties it is natural to try to make some sort of sense of what is going on and there is a place for that. There can be comfort found in the intellectual explanations to life's mysteries and our Catholic faith is a foremost source in these matters.

However, when we find ourselves in hard times, our primary task is not first and foremost to intellectualise whatever situation we are going through. Instead, God is often just simply asking us to be faithful in the daily tasks set before us in what happens to be the moment we are in. To persist on the path of sanctity and be diligent in the duties being entrusted to us today, whether mundane or more chaotic.

And here’s the thing, the strength to do so is not found in intellectual explanations but in God himself. The ability to be steadfast and persevere in hardships does not ultimately rely on our ability rationalise our circumstances but in faith and reliance on God. In fact, arguments and rationalisation can sometimes even become hindrances and excuses. They can cause us to loose focus or be frustrated instead of just getting on with whatever we are tasked to do in this moment.

Therefore, whatever circumstances we face in life, the way forward is always going to be: faith. Whether we enjoy seasons of clarity or are enduring times of confusion, the life we are asked to lead is, either way, a life of trust in God. It is by faith we find access to Gods grace and it is by faith he will enable us to be steadfast in the ups and downs of our human experience.

That’s why the exhortation of our religion always is for us to not loose heart in the things of God or get stuck in our pursuit of his will for us. To rather trust that His grace for today is sufficient and that He is faithful as we continue on the path of greater virtue and sanctity. To not be discouraged by what we might not currently understand but rather believe that God knows it all and sees it all. That He is a loving Father with the strength we need and that in the splendour of his will and ways we will ultimately see his goodness.