Wednesday, April 22, 2020

BELIEF vs FAITH

If you ask most people what the longest prayer is, prayed at a Catholic Mass, many would respond, “the Creed.”  The only problem with this answer is the Creed isn’t really a prayer.  The Creed is a statement of beliefs: "I believe in God..., I believe in Jesus Christ..., I believe in the Holy Spirit...". We recite the Creed together as an expression of our unity in the faith.  It certainly may be spoken reverently, even prayerfully, but this doesn’t make it a prayer.[1]

What we believe clearly makes a difference in how we act, what we do, and the outer expression of our inner attitude.  Our understanding of God and what we comprehend about the expressions of His heart are more than important.  Right or wrong, we all tend to emulate and follow what we believe to be true.

Annual surveys across the U.S. seek to measure where people stand regarding faith. The results consistently report that between 80-85% of people identify themselves as Christian, while 30-35% regularly attend religious services.  Clearly, a vast majority of people in America believe in God and recognize Jesus Christ as God’s illustration of the way we are to live.[2]

John 3:16 is perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible: “God so loved the world … that he gave his only begotten son … so that everyone who believes in him might not perish … but might have eternal life.”  

It’s been said this verse sums up the entire Bible.  God sent his Son, Jesus, to save us. Perhaps you’ve been asked by a fundamentalist Christian, “Are you saved?”  Not many years ago, Catholics might respond, “I hope so, or I’ve got a head start, or I’m baptized and Catholic.”  For fundamentalists, being saved dates back to a definitive event called the “altar call”.  The day when a person publicly accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  In this theology, after that, salvation is a done deal. 

Yet Jesus explains salvation requires both belief in him and an acceptance of the “light,” a light which enables us to behave as sons and daughters of the light, sons and daughters of God.  A certain type of behavior is connected to and expected of someone whom Jesus has come to save.  Is it possible to see the light but not accept it—in which case, one’s behavior doesn’t change?  Of course.  We have examples of this in the first reading.  The entrenched leaders cling tightly to their non-acceptance of Jesus, in spite of obvious evidence that Jesus is, as Nicodemus himself put it, “from God.”

Today, let us continue to bask in almost giddy Easter joy and the mercy of God celebrated just three days ago on Divine Mercy Sunday. We have been redeemed![3]  Let us not forget that believing in the risen Lord requires expected behavior of a redeemed people as an expression of our faith



[1] USCCB Catholic Current. “The Origin of the Creed”.
[2] Relational Gospel. Blog, “What is the Difference Between Faith and Belief?”
[3] Weekday HomilyHelps. Homily Suggestion by Jim Auer

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