Faith is a Moment of Trust
The Birthday Present, Part 4
Here’s a story to set the stage for today’s post on The Tolton Path:
Faith was in shock at the revelation. “You created me?” Faith asked the voice. She listened for an answer but instead heard a distinct whirl coming from the sky. She looked up at the birds scattering in all directions. One remained in the sky and grew larger. Faith’s hair blew wildly. She used her arm to block the wind for a better view, but couldn’t open her eyes.
Faith knelt down in the blinding and deafening wind gust. A prayer unfolds in her mind. “Lord, I’m thankful for my life. I’m sorry for complaining about being here alone. I’ll look to you for guidance like David does in his Psalms.” She brings her hands together, “O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.”
She could only see her hair covering her face when she opened her eyes. The wind stopped. As she stood and turned around, she could hear feet shuffle and a slight whirl sound. A giant metal structure was hovering before her.
“Are you the voice?” She walked closer and a door slid open. “Are you God?”
Walking through the doorway were familiar shapes. Each had a body, two legs, two arms and a head. Twelve formed a line, seemingly ignoring Faith’s presence. She walked by each of them. They didn’t seem to have a face. They were made of metal as well.
“Go inside, Faith,” the voice said.
“Is that my new home?” Faith asked.
“It’s a ship. You always liked birds, didn’t you? Well, now you’re going to fly in the sky like one.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to show you a problem we need you to solve.”
“Me? But how can I solve a problem? You already know everything.”
“It has become clear that it is not knowledge we need. We need something more.”
“But what’s more than knowledge?”
The metal shapes turned towards her and all said, “Faith.”
–End story (for now)–
Faith is a Moment of Trust
In this mysterious world with two suns, Faith finds herself with a lot of questions. A voice gives her answers, not unlike how we use smart devices and A.I. chatbots. We have questions and mankind continues to find easier ways to find answers.
The bigger answers to our questions are done formally through the scientific method.
The scientific method allows others to follow along, to repeat the process and to see whether or not the same conclusion is obtained. In short, the scientific method creates the structure for us to verify the finding to keep us honest and avoid human error or human sway. We all want knowledge but we also want the truth.
But not all things can be, nor should be, answered through the scientific method. You can be informed by the sciences and first hand experiences, but answers to the bigger questions requires both science and faith. Indeed, science supports and ultimately points to faith.
Here’s Bishop Barron’s very down to earth description on what faith is and what faith isn’t:
Blind faith is lazy faith. Avoiding the hard work of seeking knowledge, reading, discussing and challenging ideas and one another is a requirement of real faith. That goes for practically any decision in your life: what to eat, where to work, who to be friends with, who to trust, who to marry, who and what to vote for. You can do all your research and speak with each person, but ultimately your decision requires faith.
Likewise, as Bishop Barron says, the existence of God does not come from faith alone but from vast quantities of experiences and information and rigorous studies of human knowledge collected over thousands of years. Still, the only way to know of the existence of God without faith is to see and speak with God.
Ultimately, Bishop Barron says, with the rigorous support of science and knowledge, faith is a moment of trust.
Peace.