Experiencing faith

[lucusk]

In RCIA tonight, we were discussing how we have experienced faith. Everyone else in the group seemed to have a meaningful and heartfelt faith experience, except me . I almost felt embarrassed telling the class that I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced faith, considering the journey I’m undertaking. I’m just not sure I have truly experienced faith. During discussion, it was said that faith is gift… perhaps I have yet to recieve it. Or perhaps I have experienced it, but haven’t realize it yet. This is really throwing me for a loop. I feel in my heart that I am being called to be Catholic, but I’m troubled that I can’t come up with a time in my life when I have experienced faith. Does anyone have advice or words of wisedom that might help put my mind at ease???

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Not everyone has a big dramatic story to tell regarding their experience of faith (and also not everyone who tells a big dramatic story is being entirely truthful). If you believe in the Catholic Faith then rest assured, you have the gift of faith.

 

[tjwdsssc2015]

JMJ

I think you’re dead wrong:

you’re becoming Catholic, and you claim to have not had an experience of faith.

Taking the step to enter RCIA, and persevering in it is itself an act of faith.

Faith is two-fold: there is “the faith”, the teaching of the Church, the content of belief; and there is “my faith”, or my response to the teachings of the Church. Faith is, by definition, the act of the intellect assenting to divine truths under the dominion of the will as moved by God’s grace. Certainly you’ve experienced faith.

I think what you’re getting at in your question, however, is a deeper sense of an experience of God, perhaps, or better, a metanoia: a change or conversion of heart. Keep trusting in the Lord, and allow Him to form you. He will. I promise (and so does He!).

If you PM me your first name (only), I will add you to my daily prayer intentions.

 

[JRKH]

I would have to ask, What do your RCIA mates mean by “experiencing faith”? We experience blessings, we might experience God’s presence in a special way or we might be given some special insight…All of these things might be termed “experience” but I’m not sure about “experiencing faith”.

We have faith. We have belief.
Then we might have different sorts of experiences associated with these things we have…

You have “experienced” a coming to Christ and to His Church - you have experienced a coming to faith. For some people this experience can be very sharp and overwhelming, for others a more gradual awakening of faith.

Do not feel bad that you didn’t have an “experience” to share. As you continue in you journey toward God, you will…

Peace
James

 

[Iron_Donkey]

I wouldn’t worry about it. Some people have dramatic experiences where things appear to become clear all at once, and some do not. The fact that you feel called to be Catholic demonstrates that God is working within you. It may just be that in your case He is not being particularly noisy about it.

For example: I am a cradle Catholic. Until I was about 17, this didn’t mean much more than that I’d go to Mass when my parents dragged me out of bed on Sundays, and what I did learn stayed more or less in the back of my mind. It was when we started reading modernist literature in high school (which more or less not only clashed with everything that seemed to be true, but with everything that any person would hope could be true) that my Catholic background began to rise to the front of my mind to answer questions and deal with ideas I had not seen before. Studying these issues led to a slow deepening of a faith I had taken for granted and not really thought about before.

And that’s my story. In studying the faith I did begin to feel a deeper connection with God as I began to gain some small understanding of things, but the most spiritual “faith experience” I have ever had is a feeling of quiet contentment when praying in front of the Eucharist. Nothing dramatic.

True, I’m not a convert, and I expect that converts are more likely to have had specific experiences that lead them to the faith (pure supposition on my part, by the way). But even so, God reaches all of us in different ways. He had to knock St. Paul off his horse to get his attention, true enough, but there were also many to whom He just simply said “come” and they came.

 

[OscarsMama]

I agree with a previous poster. The fact that you are in RCIA IS proof that you have faith. Maybe it didn’t happen in ONE specific moment. Maybe it was a journey. Maybe it happened so slowly that you didn’t notice until you found yourself in RCIA. Whatever. It doesn’t matter HOW it happens. It just matters that it DID happen.

I am a cradle Catholic and like another previous poster, I can’t necessarily p(name removed by moderator)oint the “exact” moment that I realized that my faith was “mine” as opposed to “doing it because my parents made me.” But that doesn’t really matter.

Faith is something that you have to constantly work at. It needs exercise. There will be moments where you feel like you have a ton of faith. There will be moments that you feel like you have none.

Good luck with your RCIA process!!!

 

[lucusk]

I would have to ask, What do your RCIA mates mean by “experiencing faith”? We experience blessings, we might experience God’s presence in a special way or we might be given some special insight…All of these things might be termed “experience” but I’m not sure about “experiencing faith”.

What was being shared was an experience which revealed God’s presence that strengthened their belief and deepened their connection with God. The conversation was prefaced with the question “what is faith?” A definition was given from the Catechism, after we were given time to respond, and we were asked how we have experienced faith. While I can appreciate the exercise, I’m sure the expected result was to be a controlled way to examine a very broad topic. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way for me. I probably should have realized that at the time since my answer to the question was “I really can’t define faith… Faith is, well, just faith”. I have a bad habit of over thinking things at times. Based on some reflection, I think I was trying to examine this concept on a much larger level than was anticipated by the RCIA leader.

Do I have faith? Yes. Do I believe? Most definitely! Have I “experienced” faith on the level others in my group have? Evidently, not. The question I should ask myself should be “Do I need to have the types of experiences other have had to strengthen my belief?” My answer would be “I don’t think so”. A better question might be “Was I looking for these types of experiences in the past?” I would have to say no. I strayed from faith for a number of years… my eyes weren’t open, so to speak.

In retrospect, my journey through RCIA really is my faith experience, as posters above have stated. I was called back to the church in a rather subtle way which leads me to believe the poster is correct who said He is working with me, but not being particularly noisy about it. Its’ true… When the Lord speaks, many hear Him, but He may need to speak a bit louder to others.

THANK YOU ALL!!! I think I’m on the right track now. It’s a huge help to get other’s perspectives!