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In the 2nd Reading this Sunday (2 Corinthians 5:6-10), Paul says that we “walk by faith, not by sight.”
Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
But what does it really mean? Does it mean to just follow and believe in God blindly? I’m sure there are anti-religious people who have used that passage to argue that’s what the Church teaches. But in reality, the truth is far from it.
If I was to walk by sight only (or any of the senses), I probably wouldn’t believe in God, much less practice the Catholic faith, anymore. I mean, I don’t really see God right in front of me, or in every person I come into contact with.
I don’t actually feel God present around me – not with my hands anyway. I don’t see God in all the hatred and violence that surrounds us. I don’t hear God with my ears when I pray, or sit in silence, or read Scripture. I don’t see Jesus in the Eucharist – nor do I feel, taste, or smell Him (do this the next time you go wine tasting – take a sip and say, “It’s smokey, earthy, elegant, and do I sense something Christlike?”).
My faith is my relationship with God. If I am just blindly following – not thinking or trying to engage or trying to understand – then there’s not much of a relationship.
That’s why I have read, prayed, doubted, listened, questioned, studied, and doubted some more. And because of that, my faith doesn’t rely on my 5 senses or on my feelings. My feelings (or lack thereof) don’t affect my faith because my faith goes beyond the senses. Do I want to feel “it”? Do I want to see it? Of course I do – that would make believing way easier. But when I go to Mass and I don’t feel Jesus’ presence, or when I don’t see Jesus in the Eucharist, it doesn’t affect my faith, because I know He is there.
Because I walk by faith – because I know – that God exists, that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, nothing can change that. If I walked by sight, and I saw a Christian making horrible decisions (which happens more often than it should and I have been guilty of that too), then I would leave the Catholic Church, as many have. But my faith is not based on what I see in other people. My faith is based on Jesus Christ.
Deepu,
I have been focusing on my relationship with GOD and it has been amazing. It’s my earthly/human side that gets in the way of my spiritual side. Thank you for writing on this topic.