I am not aware of anyone in our parish who is literally blind, but given that many are in their golden years, I suspect some have experienced either cataracts or glaucoma. I understand that both of these illnesses develop so gradually that at first one doesn’t notice the deteriorating eyesight, but when the condition is surgically corrected, it is indeed like the miracle story we just heard. “I can see clearly!” patients gleefully say.
When Bartimaeus pleaded with the Lord, “Master, I want to see,” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Instead of going elsewhere, Bartimaeus followed Jesus. More than his eyes were opened that day. Unlike the apostles, he could see who Jesus truly was and followed him. We may have good eyesight, even 20/20, but how well do we see Jesus with our eyes of faith?
In proclaiming a Year of Faith to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vatican II, Pope Benedict in a recent audience expressed his desire for us to strengthen or rediscover the joy of faith and realize that faith isn’t something separate from everyday life but is the soul of everyday life. He laments that many Christians don’t even know the central core of their own faith, the Creed, thus they are becoming selective as to what they believe and don’t believe. You and I know fellow Catholics who don’t live the faith for any number of reasons. The Holy Father observes that without a clear idea of the fundamental truths and the uniquely salvific nature of Christianity, many people end up constructing a “do it yourself” religion.
Just as people told Bartimaeus, “Take courage, get up. Jesus is calling you,” Jesus is calling us. Otherwise, we would not be here. From the moment we came into the world, we were exposed to faith. Faith is an entirely free gift that God gives to us. Without faith, we could not develop the trust that is vital in establishing relationships in our lives.
Just as our bodies go through stages beginning with infancy, so does our faith. As toddlers, fantasy and reality often get mixed together. At this age, our most basic ideas about God are usually picked up from our parents and others close to us.
While in grade school, we start to understand the world in more logical ways. We generally accept the stories told to us by our faith community as we begin to form our own beliefs in God and a sense of justice.
In adolescence, faith is often shaped by conforming to religious authority while we develop our personal identities. Even if one doesn’t belong to a religion, the faith one develops at this stage of life enables that person to adopt some sort of belief system, relying on an institution like the church to provide stability. Authority is usually placed in individuals or groups that represent one’s beliefs. Many people become attached to their religion during this time and never really reflect on its fullest potential.
Adult faith begins when we take personal responsibility for our beliefs and feelings. We learn that there is more to the world than what we were exposed to, and could become disillusioned with our childhood faith. We begin to critically examine and possibly redefine our beliefs if we have conflicts with the faith we grew up in. For many, this becomes a non religious stage of their lives and some remain there, rejecting religion and even God. Others become more engaged as they ponder their faith and come to a greater understanding of its mysteries.
In the midst of a mid-life crisis, some adults come to terms with whatever conflicts they experienced with their beliefs earlier in life and if they have fallen away, they return to their faith with a deeper conviction. They see the truth as Bartimaeus did and realize that life can be full of mystery and once again value the sacred stories they had learned earlier in life.
While our bodies grow and age from birth until death, many people remain at a given faith stage for years if they do not endeavor to personally reflect on its fullest potential in their lives. That is the challenge Pope Benedict is placing before us in this Year of the Faith.
A good starting point is the Creed, which expresses what we believe as Christians. We believe in one God, yet one that has three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The one person that can be most challenging for anyone to ponder is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, for we believe him to be fully human and fully divine. In the Creed, we say that he is consubstantial with the Father, but what does that word mean?
What we see when we look at something isn’t always what that object actually is. Its appearance and its substance can be two different things. Often an architect, for example, will build a mock up of a proposed building. It may look so real that you think you are seeing the real thing, but it isn’t the same substance that the real building will be someday. Likewise, with Jesus, his appearance to us is that of a man, being fully human, but he is the same substance as his Father, fully divine, thus we say he is “God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
That notion can be a real puzzlement to anyone who hasn’t taken time to prayerfully reflect on the Creed. Those who have not done so could remain spiritually blind to all that Jesus truly is, just as the apostles were until they witnessed the resurrection. If you haven’t done so yet, I invite you to learn the Creed by heart and ponder its message prayerfully as you do so.