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DOUBT FORTIFIES FAITH
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As we are in the year of FAITH,
I would like to reflect on the doubt of St. Thomas which fortified his Faith in
Jesus. “What is faith?” Faith has several
definitions, but I would like to stick to the biblical answer, given by the author of
Hebrews, which reads, “Faith is the assurance
of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). The first thing we notice in this assertion
is that, faith is something that is substantial, not insignificant. Secondly,
faith represents a type of conviction. It is the conviction of the unseen. When
the Scripture says that faith is the conviction of things not seen, what are we
to understand that to mean? This sentence is well explained in the “Yes” of our
Blessed Mother Mary. When it was announced to her that she would be the mother of
Jesus, she said “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me
according to your word.”(Luke 1: 38). Yes faith involves placing one’s trust in
something. Of course Faith is not just a set of beliefs instead it is
total trust in God and Jesus Christ. If one trusts God, one will also believe God. In that sense, faith also involves beliefs. Ultimately
faith in God means believing in things that we cannot prove.
It is the conviction of the unseen.
In the meantime, to trust what we do not see is not necessarily a matter of being irrational. Without reason, the content of faith would be unintelligible and meaningless. Thus faith is not the same as reason; but then again it is rational and reasonable. When we say that faith is rational we mean faith is intelligible and not absurd or illogical. It was Augustine who declared that faith without evidence is credulity. The servants of God or prophets sent by God took
a rational, measured approach to their faith. — This is very evident in the
gospel of St. John 20:31. “But these (Signs
and Miracles) are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing, you may have life in his
name.” Certainly, we are also encouraged to do the same as servants of God, in
order to believe and through believing to have life in his name.
“My
Lord and my God” is the profound faith expressive words of St. Thomas the
Apostle. St. Thomas many a times accidentally referred and preached as a
doubting person. But I would like to present him as a faithful and faith-filled
person of Jesus. For the doubt of St. Thomas shed light on his faith and
abetted him to experience Jesus intensely. The words of our blessed Mother “How can this
be, since I am a virgin?”; The hesitation and the plan of St. Joseph, to
dismiss Mary quietly; the doubt of Zechariah are some of the very strong examples
to ratify that doubt or reason clarifies, fortifies, strengthens,
reinforces, supports, and builds up the faith. Faith and reason complement and
support each other mutually. Knowing
and understanding why you believe, what you believe, is done through reason.
Belief without reason can often be destructive or even dangerous.
The flip side of reasonless faith is faithless reason. Some study deeply into the reasons for faith, giving credibility to the arguments, but failing to develop a personal relationship with God by walking and talking with Him. Establishing solid reasons for faith will not automatically produce faith. St. Thomas for example doubted and searched for reason but he did not fail to develop a personal relationship with Jesus whereas he came to different parts of India and preached the faith that he experienced and he breathed his last breath for Christ. Consequently, every seeker must go further and, having been fortified with doubt, having experienced faith, one must knock, and He will open the door of living faith.
