J
joshrp
Guest
Hi,
I will first say that faith has been something that I have been allergic to almost for a while. I have always had trouble believing something I did not know. I would say that there are a lot of misunderstandings of what faith is, and misuses or inarticulate uses of the word, and this leads to many people being either turned off or confused.
What I am wanting to ask is, What exactly is faith, but more importantly, what causes it? I personally love theology and spirituality because it just covers every possible thing and can be tied into pretty much every subject. I’ve only recently begun to get a glimpse of the “power of faith”, but with that glimpse has come an overturning of many assumptions I’ve had about faith.
When thinking about love, I had a very negative reaction towards the word, because most people think that love is a feeling, and that’s pretty much it. I eventually resolved this dilemma in my mind by instead defining love as a “principle of action or determination”. Love to me is a resolute act of the will to do something, or to act in a certain way based upon certain principles in a relationship to God or His creatures.
Can I look at faith in a similar way, as it being a principle of action? Can you decide you are going to believe something or rather someone? In my case, I wasn’t able to make myself to believe certain things, I think that has to come from the Holy Spirit probably. But rather in my case, I made the determination to believe Jesus and the Church and what they tell me, and to have “faith” that it is true, whether I understand it at all or not, and to go along with the hope that God will gradually reveal His meaning to me as I proceed in the relationship and dialogue of faith with Him. Most people look at concepts and realities in terms of definitions and assumptions. But really you have to look at everything in terms of a creative progression of a dialogue. Most people, including me, have perceived reality in too mathematical a way, and less as a polyphonic musical composition, which is more useful.
I honestly want to learn to play a polyphonic instrument, like the piano, for example playing Bach or Mozart or someone, to help me pray better. I thought this last night at Eucharistic Adoration while I was praying the Rosary. I was thinking about why I couldn’t both concentrate on the spoken prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.) and meditating on the mysteries at the same time, and I thought it is because I often think monophonically. I can only think of one voice or line of thought in my mind at once. Think of how many voices someone playing Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier must think in their minds at once. Or a conductor conducting a symphony. They must have a whole musical work in their mind, complete, from beginning to end, before they can even began a competent performance. And think of how difficult it is for many of us, including me, to just think of two things at the same time while praying the Rosary?
Well, I started by asking what is faith and what causes it, and then I went into polyphonic music and prayer. Sorry about that. I will just say that I want to know and learn as much about faith, and how it is increased and created and developed as I can.
As a side note, I went on my first retreat this past weekend, and while I was there I was reading Luke’s gospel where the apostles go to the Lord and say: “Increase Our Faith”. I think this is a one phrase refutation of faith alone and once saved always saved, because if all you need is a one time faith, what is the point of increasing it. But I have always been trying to think of some sort of subject to write an article or book or something about and the title idea popped into my mind : “Increase Our Faith: Towards a World Overflowing With Saints”. Well, that’s just a side note. But my question in particular for this post is what is faith, what causes it, and how can it be increased.
Thanks, Joshua
I will first say that faith has been something that I have been allergic to almost for a while. I have always had trouble believing something I did not know. I would say that there are a lot of misunderstandings of what faith is, and misuses or inarticulate uses of the word, and this leads to many people being either turned off or confused.
What I am wanting to ask is, What exactly is faith, but more importantly, what causes it? I personally love theology and spirituality because it just covers every possible thing and can be tied into pretty much every subject. I’ve only recently begun to get a glimpse of the “power of faith”, but with that glimpse has come an overturning of many assumptions I’ve had about faith.
When thinking about love, I had a very negative reaction towards the word, because most people think that love is a feeling, and that’s pretty much it. I eventually resolved this dilemma in my mind by instead defining love as a “principle of action or determination”. Love to me is a resolute act of the will to do something, or to act in a certain way based upon certain principles in a relationship to God or His creatures.
Can I look at faith in a similar way, as it being a principle of action? Can you decide you are going to believe something or rather someone? In my case, I wasn’t able to make myself to believe certain things, I think that has to come from the Holy Spirit probably. But rather in my case, I made the determination to believe Jesus and the Church and what they tell me, and to have “faith” that it is true, whether I understand it at all or not, and to go along with the hope that God will gradually reveal His meaning to me as I proceed in the relationship and dialogue of faith with Him. Most people look at concepts and realities in terms of definitions and assumptions. But really you have to look at everything in terms of a creative progression of a dialogue. Most people, including me, have perceived reality in too mathematical a way, and less as a polyphonic musical composition, which is more useful.
I honestly want to learn to play a polyphonic instrument, like the piano, for example playing Bach or Mozart or someone, to help me pray better. I thought this last night at Eucharistic Adoration while I was praying the Rosary. I was thinking about why I couldn’t both concentrate on the spoken prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.) and meditating on the mysteries at the same time, and I thought it is because I often think monophonically. I can only think of one voice or line of thought in my mind at once. Think of how many voices someone playing Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier must think in their minds at once. Or a conductor conducting a symphony. They must have a whole musical work in their mind, complete, from beginning to end, before they can even began a competent performance. And think of how difficult it is for many of us, including me, to just think of two things at the same time while praying the Rosary?
Well, I started by asking what is faith and what causes it, and then I went into polyphonic music and prayer. Sorry about that. I will just say that I want to know and learn as much about faith, and how it is increased and created and developed as I can.
As a side note, I went on my first retreat this past weekend, and while I was there I was reading Luke’s gospel where the apostles go to the Lord and say: “Increase Our Faith”. I think this is a one phrase refutation of faith alone and once saved always saved, because if all you need is a one time faith, what is the point of increasing it. But I have always been trying to think of some sort of subject to write an article or book or something about and the title idea popped into my mind : “Increase Our Faith: Towards a World Overflowing With Saints”. Well, that’s just a side note. But my question in particular for this post is what is faith, what causes it, and how can it be increased.
Thanks, Joshua
ers . . . so just ask Him to increase your faith . . . and He will . . . and in accordance with the little portion of spiritual wisdom recorded in Sacred :bible1: Scripture below . . . perhaps a good place to start would be to tune into the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) . . . and start sampling some of the wonderful menu of Catholic teachings they offer in such abundance . . . and you’ll find your Catholic Christian faith in God growing day by day . . .