My Faith Journey: Reflections on How My Faith Has Changed
Faith: a journey.
A reflection on how my faith has changed.
Paschal Baute
I used to think, long time ago, that faith was something I discovered, a belief that I chose to guide me, help me, heal me,. save me, and which would guarantee my eternal salvation. It also gave me, in my Catholic faith, an admission ticket into a great community of believers of all ages. I also believed, I will admit now, that my faith gave me the right to judge others as further from God than me. I, by my faith and my faith practice, had the inside track. I was saved and others who did not believe the same as I did, were not. Unfortunately, all my pre-Vatican II training as a young Catholic priest, strongly reinforced this view. We had the answers to all the problems of the world, and the world needed only to listen, learn and comply. We did not realize at that time, how closed a system our faith world was, how we were indoctrinated into the view that we Roman Catholics were the singular right path--the only right path to God.
Now I see that kind of faith is only the beginning of faith, first base, so to speak. In that view, what I did with faith was a choice, whether I got involved in witnessing to others, some form of ministry or discipleship, was a choice. It was not necessary. I could observe my faith, regular devotions, but the giving of self was sort of an option. It was something “extra.”
Now I have come to believe that faith is a gift, an unearned gift of wondrous grace. I could never deserve it. I did not choose it, rather it found me. Now since it is an unearned gift and I could never deserve it, there is no way my faith can become a platform for judging others. I now see that my judging of others as further from God than I was an act of enormous self-deceit. Judgment belongs to God alone. When I judge others by my faith, by my path, I have put idols between myself and God. I am using the gift of faith to judge others. To assume my way to God is the only or best way is an act of stealth idolatry. I am not surrendering to this awesome mystery that has found me, rather I am using my view, my tradition as a means to judge the value of another’s path.
I now see my faith differently. There are two aspects I now embrace, both of which were taught by Jesus, and which are also common to all faith traditions. I have been given faith for loving, and for loving inclusively, as Jesus did. It is not a choice. If I am not loving as Jesus did, ii.e. with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength and my neighbor as myself, then my faith is doubtful. I may be whistling in the dark, using it to comfort myself while denying the work that I must face.
Jesus was a Jew and his work was to renew his own faith community. Two of Judaism's basic principles, as I understand it, are tzedakkah and tikkun olam. Tzedakkah is the obligation of righteousness (and common sense) that binds all human beings. We must treat one another kindly and with respect and dignity. Martin Buber’s small monograph, I - Thou, is an excellent expression of this principle.
The second principle, tikkun olam, says that, having accepted the notion that we should treat one another with respect and dignity, we come together as human beings in cooperation to repair and improve the world around us. Tikkun olam. Jesus’ message was that God made the world but did not complete it, and we, each of us, are to be collaborators in creation. Judaism describes it as the whole law, without need of ornamentation or elaboration.
Now what is curious to me is that all religions share these two principles. Even the Koran, guiding the second largest faith community in the world, honors them.
Are these two principles not of great benefit to our nation and to the world? Would they not be of more benefit if shared and encouraged. Would it not be powerful for Christians and other believers simply to announce at once to the whole world that before we argue about the things about which we differ that these are the truths we as believers hold in common.
Why not concentrate on the two things we believe? Mario Cuomo, in a recent talk entitled “The Catholic Tradition of Realism and Faith,” (beliefnet.com) put it this way: “We are supposed to love one another, and we are supposed to work together to clean up this mess we are in, because that is the mission that was left to us. I cannot think of any better guidance. Nor do I think it is difficult to apply these two grand, natural-law, religious principles to day-to-day affairs, even in a world with the competing virtues of individuality and community.”
I no longer see loving inclusively as a choice. I no longer see my duty to heal the community, to help create community, as a choice. It is a necessity of my faith. I am given faith in order to become loving and to help develop community. Period.
Thank you for listening. Namaste. Discussion, please.
We have begun working in Lexington to empower understandings between Muslims and Christians. The roots of terrorism are ideological, as the 9/11 Commission Report puts it starkly. We cannot win a war against an ideology. The future of our country, our way of life, depends upon us investing ourselves in the work of healing community. Tikkun Olam.
A reflection on how my faith has changed.
Paschal Baute
I used to think, long time ago, that faith was something I discovered, a belief that I chose to guide me, help me, heal me,. save me, and which would guarantee my eternal salvation. It also gave me, in my Catholic faith, an admission ticket into a great community of believers of all ages. I also believed, I will admit now, that my faith gave me the right to judge others as further from God than me. I, by my faith and my faith practice, had the inside track. I was saved and others who did not believe the same as I did, were not. Unfortunately, all my pre-Vatican II training as a young Catholic priest, strongly reinforced this view. We had the answers to all the problems of the world, and the world needed only to listen, learn and comply. We did not realize at that time, how closed a system our faith world was, how we were indoctrinated into the view that we Roman Catholics were the singular right path--the only right path to God.
Now I see that kind of faith is only the beginning of faith, first base, so to speak. In that view, what I did with faith was a choice, whether I got involved in witnessing to others, some form of ministry or discipleship, was a choice. It was not necessary. I could observe my faith, regular devotions, but the giving of self was sort of an option. It was something “extra.”
Now I have come to believe that faith is a gift, an unearned gift of wondrous grace. I could never deserve it. I did not choose it, rather it found me. Now since it is an unearned gift and I could never deserve it, there is no way my faith can become a platform for judging others. I now see that my judging of others as further from God than I was an act of enormous self-deceit. Judgment belongs to God alone. When I judge others by my faith, by my path, I have put idols between myself and God. I am using the gift of faith to judge others. To assume my way to God is the only or best way is an act of stealth idolatry. I am not surrendering to this awesome mystery that has found me, rather I am using my view, my tradition as a means to judge the value of another’s path.
I now see my faith differently. There are two aspects I now embrace, both of which were taught by Jesus, and which are also common to all faith traditions. I have been given faith for loving, and for loving inclusively, as Jesus did. It is not a choice. If I am not loving as Jesus did, ii.e. with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength and my neighbor as myself, then my faith is doubtful. I may be whistling in the dark, using it to comfort myself while denying the work that I must face.
Jesus was a Jew and his work was to renew his own faith community. Two of Judaism's basic principles, as I understand it, are tzedakkah and tikkun olam. Tzedakkah is the obligation of righteousness (and common sense) that binds all human beings. We must treat one another kindly and with respect and dignity. Martin Buber’s small monograph, I - Thou, is an excellent expression of this principle.
The second principle, tikkun olam, says that, having accepted the notion that we should treat one another with respect and dignity, we come together as human beings in cooperation to repair and improve the world around us. Tikkun olam. Jesus’ message was that God made the world but did not complete it, and we, each of us, are to be collaborators in creation. Judaism describes it as the whole law, without need of ornamentation or elaboration.
Now what is curious to me is that all religions share these two principles. Even the Koran, guiding the second largest faith community in the world, honors them.
Are these two principles not of great benefit to our nation and to the world? Would they not be of more benefit if shared and encouraged. Would it not be powerful for Christians and other believers simply to announce at once to the whole world that before we argue about the things about which we differ that these are the truths we as believers hold in common.
Why not concentrate on the two things we believe? Mario Cuomo, in a recent talk entitled “The Catholic Tradition of Realism and Faith,” (beliefnet.com) put it this way: “We are supposed to love one another, and we are supposed to work together to clean up this mess we are in, because that is the mission that was left to us. I cannot think of any better guidance. Nor do I think it is difficult to apply these two grand, natural-law, religious principles to day-to-day affairs, even in a world with the competing virtues of individuality and community.”
I no longer see loving inclusively as a choice. I no longer see my duty to heal the community, to help create community, as a choice. It is a necessity of my faith. I am given faith in order to become loving and to help develop community. Period.
Thank you for listening. Namaste. Discussion, please.
We have begun working in Lexington to empower understandings between Muslims and Christians. The roots of terrorism are ideological, as the 9/11 Commission Report puts it starkly. We cannot win a war against an ideology. The future of our country, our way of life, depends upon us investing ourselves in the work of healing community. Tikkun Olam.
posted by Paschal Baute at 5:22 AM
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