I BELIEVE IN GOD
“Jesus said to them in reply, Have faith in God” – Mk 11:22
Let us start with the statement of St. Thomas Aquinas that it is one thing to recognize the truth that “God exists", and it is quite different “believe in God”. We must admit that St. Thomas is right, stated that one can recognize the existence of God without any reservations, and at the same time be a non-believer. After all, it is possible to recognize the existence of God only because reason demands it, or in the fear of ultimate nonsense. Faith in God only begins when I find a source of light and power in the Living God, when I meet Him in various circumstances of my life as a Loving Someone. I truly believe in God, if, with all and depth of my being, I know that He deserves that I and each of my neighbors should entrust themselves to Him.
The only reason that I can believe in God is that God first believed in me. In the Holy Scriptures and in the teaching of the Church, this faith of God in man is called grace or mercy. But beware: our ideas about God's grace are sometimes very far from the truth. This is because we too rarely compare our ideas of God with what He has revealed to us in Jesus Christ. God's grace should be associated primarily with the good shepherd who is looking for the lost sheep; with a loving father who suffers for his prodigal son and looks forward to his return; with a physician and a Samaritan who lovingly bows down over a leper or wounded man and brings him to health.
My faith in God is possible because God first believed in me, even though I am more ungrateful to Him than I realize. This is what the traditional formula expresses that faith in God is grace. Namely, it is grace that I can seek help in God and find in Him a loving Father; that I can entrust myself to Him and save my soul, even if I find myself in a situation beyond my human endurance. The more it is a grace that it is in God that I can look for protection from myself, because He has the power to free me even from my sinfulness.
It follows from the above that the measure of my faith in God is not the state of my consciousness, but what is commonly called the state of my soul. For example, saying, "Lord, Lord!" it filled me with inexpressible sweetness, if with the power of my faith I cast out demons, move mountains and perform other miracles, it is a waste if it does not transform me. But on the other hand: Even if I am in such darkness that I do not even feel that God exists, it will not hurt me, and it may even accelerate my spiritual maturation, if I stick to the law of love with both hands, also when it is against common sense or beyond my strength. I would not have persevered in such situations in an attitude of true love if I had not been objectively close to God and if He had not strengthened me.
Here is a piece of advice for the non-believer, who does not even know yet whether God exists, but would like to avoid both unjustified certainty and unjustified agnosticism in his search for an answer to the question about God. Well, the fundamental issue when we ask about the existence or non-existence of a being is the choice of an appropriate method of searching for an answer. When the existence of bacteria was recognized, it was realized that the problem could not be solved without constructing an appropriately perfect microscope. When it was not known whether Neptune existed in the solar system, and after it was discovered whether Pluto still exists, it was clear that larger telescopes were needed.
What method should be used when someone does not yet know if there is a God? Well, it is not enough to notice - as every child knows - that He is invisible. We not only cannot see him, but we are in no way able to take an external position toward Him. "For in him we live, move and are" (cf. Acts 17:28). He - as St. Augustine notes - is closer to me than I am to myself. So if God exists (I am talking to a non-believer now), then all my search for Him is done directly in His presence.
What is the conclusion? It is above all that it will be barren for me to seek God if I am mainly interested in the question about the first cause of all things. For even if I had absolute certainty that God exists - let us recall the observation of St. Thomas - I would still be an unbeliever. As for astronomical searches telescopes are necessary, so - if I really want to look for the True God - I must do it not only with my intellect, but with my whole life attitude, in a way with my whole self, primarily by cleansing myself of evil and shaping an attitude of love in myself .
If, however, this is the way I am looking for him, I am certainly doing it in the space of his grace, even if I am not yet sure of his existence. The Lord Jesus spoke about it very simply: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God" (Mt 5: 8). This truth shows that even after I have found God and love Him with all my heart, I must not stop looking for Him. For I will only finally find Him when I see Him face to face for eternal life.
Finally, I will mention something that is especially fascinating for us in God. Namely, God is someone who is absolutely closest to each of us. He loves me more than any of my loved ones, he cares about my well-being much more than me. "Even if my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will welcome me" (Ps 27:10; cf. Is 49:15; Sir 4:10). It's probably obvious: after all, it is God that enables us to love one another, everything flows from Him, that I am someone dear to different people, and I also feel deeply connected with my loved ones. It is He who also enables me to care for my well-being. In turn, it is my sin that is the reason why I am able to hurt even people close to me, and I look for my own good in an absurd way, namely by destroying myself and others.
The more I am aware of all this, the more I will enjoy the commandment that I must love God with all my soul, with all my heart, with all my strength and with all my thoughts. It reveals the most essential truth, both, about God and about ourselves and about the reality in which God has placed us. The logic of this commandment is clearly seen in the light of this event that took place two thousand years ago: that God's only-begotten Son, one with his Eternal Father, became for us one of us and allowed himself to be crucified. Do we need more convincing proof that the one who wants us to love him with all our soul and with all our strength is seeking our good selflessly?
Until Tomorrow
fr. george