When do you have enough faith?

[Tollers]

Enough faith to call yourself a “believer?” Enough faith to take communion?

I realize that the very meaning of the word “faith” is complex. It can mean both believing or trusting.

In my case, I see myself more of a “possibilitier” than a “believer.” At least in the sense that I believe the Sun is hot, that snow and is cold and so forth.

So if you accept the possibility of there being a God, and a Christ risen, and you certainly have tremendous hope that these things are true, and therefore seek to live a Christian life style in trust that they are so (not to mention that it just feels right to you on many levels). . . is that faith?

Is that enough faith in terms of the sacraments? Is it sufficient to take communion?

 

[Scottgun]

Faith is not merely assent to a set of logical propositions that you muster up just enough credulity to accept them as plausible. Rather it is giving and affirming genuine loyalty to God through an act of the will. It’s and on/off switch in which you choose ‘on’, not a dimmer slider where you set it just low enough to give off light.

 

[Tollers]

Faith is not merely assent to a set of logical propositions that you muster up just enough credulity to accept them as plausible. Rather it is giving and affirming genuine loyalty to God through an act of the will. It’s and on/off switch in which you choose ‘on’, not a dimmer slider where you set it just low enough to give off light.

So, are you saying that if you are a “possibilitier” but by an act of will you choose to proceed in your efforts to live a Christian lifestyle in trust of that possibility, then you have sufficient faith to partake of the sacraments? Thinking more specifically of communion.

 

[Harmony1988]

I do not agree with the second post, faith is not just on or off. It is varying, different people have different levels of faith. Some are strong, some are not.

 

[Pug]

Perhaps it would help you to look at faith as one of the gifts that you received when you were baptized. Once received, it endures. The person has it still, even if they feel joyless today or the devil (or their own psychological makeup) is assailing them with doubts. It is true that faith can be lost by sinning, but it is not lost by every mortal sin. Even if you were to lose it by sinning, you only need to return via confession as the Church would have you, and faith, hope, and charity will be restored to you. That is the cool thing about confession. It is designed with real people in mind, people who need reassurance about grace and God’s love and forgiveness and His desire to have us be in communion with him.

If you are trusting God and living the Christian life, obeying the commandments, and trying to conform your life to Christ, you have more faith than you realize. Maybe a good practical suggestion would be for you each day to pray the prayer, “Lord, increase my faith!” Another would be to spend time nourishing your faith, either by studying the gospels or looking in your life for the action of God, and thanking him, or something similar.

Many saints have spent time in darkness. Maybe it is part of our modern times that so many have doubts and must struggle with this.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

Never. We are always, or should be striving to increase our faith. By that I mean, we should be constantly learning, meditating and being with God, attempting always to grow in our love and completeness. I am not talking about cultish adherence to an ever growing lists of do’s and don’ts. I am not saying that you should be questioning every step to make sure that it is in perfect alignment with some perception of Church teaching. It is a more spiritual growth that I refer to. That is ongoing and hopefully more encompassing as life proceeds. I think when you begin to make real progress you realize the fallacy of being too rule oriented. That simple gets in the way of true spiritual growth.

 

[AeroChunky]

One can also ask - who has enough Faith?

The answer is no-one.

No one on earth has even enough Faith to “tell a tree to go plant itself over there.”
Or enough Faith for anything that Jesus said in the Bible that we would be able to do it we have Faith.