Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

— Hebrews 11:1

Either before you arrive or as you wait for class to begin, find this short passage from Sacred Scripture in your Bible or through an online search. Reading it will prepare you for this week’s material.

—1 Thessalonians 1:2–10

O God, our Father, increase our faith that we may believe what you have revealed and live in accord with the truths we profess. Amen.

As you watch the video lesson, refer to these key highlights. Feel free to use the space provided to take notes.

• Supernatural faith is a supernatural light by which we accept and assent to the whole truth God has revealed.
  

  

• Faith is an elevation of the human mind that enables us to believe divine mysteries.

• Professing the Faith puts us in contact with God. It demands a complete acceptance of God and what he has revealed.

• Faith seeks understanding, but the limitations of human reason do not enable us to completely comprehend divine mysteries.

• Catholics are called to grow in faith through prayer and study throughout the course of their lives.

• Faith never contradicts reason.

Wisdom of the Saints

Do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may understand.

— St. Augustine

Take a moment to go through these questions with the group. For larger classes, divide them up into partners. Answers are provided to assist you in leading discussion.

1. What is supernatural faith? Explain how it is different from other ways we use the word faith.

   Supernatural faith is an elevation of the human mind to be able to know divine mysteries. By supernatural faith we freely accept and assent to the whole truth God has revealed.

   Faith is often used to describe a mere relationship of trust or confidence between human beings. Supernatural faith is directed to God and depends on God’s truthfulness.

2. Explain how faith involves a relationship with God. Why is it dangerous to be a “selective believer”?

   Faith forges a relationship between our minds and God. We believe God, who is truth itself and who cannot deceive us, and we surrender to him in obedience.

   It is dangerous to be a selective believer because faith involves a complete acceptance of God and what he has revealed. To reject parts of the Faith undermines the foundation of our belief: a loving and trusting relationship with God. It makes me and my personal judgment the standard for believing rather than God’s authority and truthfulness. We will find ourselves saying, “I don’t trust God, rather, I trust in my own judgment.”

3. Is it wrong to seek better explanations for what we believe? How should one resolve confusion about the Faith?

   No, it is natural and good to seek better explanations for what we believe. But one must not withhold belief merely in search of a perfect rational explanation for every belief. With the supernatural mysteries of the Faith, one must believe in order to begin to understand properly.
   When they encounter confusion, Catholics seek better explanations for their faith by continued study, by participating in Catholic educational programs, and by seeking counsel from a priest or a trusted teacher of the Faith.

4. Does faith ever contradict reason?

No, faith cannot contradict reason. Faith directs us to believe what is above reason, but never anything in contradiction to it. Faith and reason are in fundamental harmony, and reason is involved in the act of faith.

Catechism Connection

Throughout her life and until her last ordeal when Jesus her son died on the cross, Mary’s faith never wavered. She never ceased to believe in the fulfillment of God’s word. And so the Church venerates in Mary the purest realization of faith.

— CCC 149

Discuss these questions with the group, pair them with a partner, or ask them to meditate on their own.

1. Think of ways you have seen faith at work in you already.

2. Think of another person you really trust. How is the faith you have in them like supernatural faith? How is it different?

3. Is there anything you have learned about the Catholic faith that you have found confusing or difficult to accept? What exactly do you find confusing or difficult? Have you approached God about this in prayer? What are some ways you can seek further explanation?

After concluding your group discussion, return to watch the second video where converts to the Catholic faith discuss their conversion and how they live today as Catholics.

Rome to Home

Men and women can accomplish no more important act in their lives than the act of faith; it is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth and chooses to live in that truth.

— Pope St. John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, no. 13

Obedience of Faith: The proper response to God who has revealed himself. The obedience of faith involves a certain surrender of the mind to God who is truth itself.

Profession of Faith: The Creed, or summary of beliefs, that all Catholics profess. It is recited at Mass on Sundays and solemnities.

Sense of the Faith: A supernatural confirmation of the Faith that is manifested in the universal agreement of members of the Church on matters of faith and morals. It also allows believers to instinctively reject whatever is opposed to the Faith.

Apostasy: The complete rejection or renunciation of the Faith.

God’s Word

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

— Hebrews 11:8–10

O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches because in revealing them you can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.

This serves as a review of the material that your students can read after each class, but it may be helpful for you to read as well. Consider reading it before each class to better prepare you for group discussion.

The Virtue of Faith: Believing and Understanding

The grace of God is incredibly powerful and it has many different effects in our lives. God gives us sanctifying grace in the depths of our souls, and this grace overflows into our minds and hearts and results in the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith, hope, and charity are called theological virtues because they direct us to God so that we might know him and love him. They establish us in personal contact with the Holy Trinity and shape us more and more according to God’s image. The theological virtues are thus at the heart of Christian life and morality. We will consider them in detail over the next several chapters.

Faith has already been discussed earlier in connection with Divine Revelation (chapter 2), but it is helpful to consider the role faith plays in the life of an individual Christian.

Faith is a very common word. When people say, “I have faith in you,” or, “take it on faith,” they are typically referring to a relationship of trust and hope with another person. For Christians, however, faith also has a rich and transcendent meaning. Supernatural faith—that is, the theological virtue of faith—is about God. By the virtue of faith, as by a kind of supernatural light, we freely accept and assent to the whole truth God has revealed. It therefore leads to a spiritual confidence backed by divine truthfulness. Divine power brings about faith and strengthens it.

The theological virtue of faith is supernatural and divine since it involves God elevating our minds and moving our wills to assent freely to…what he has revealed; in this way, we come into contact with and begin to “know” divine mysteries we could never discover on our own. God, as our almighty creator, is able to work quietly and powerfully within the depths of our souls to bring about and to strengthen our faith. Faith calls for a certain surrender of the mind to God, which we call the obedience of faith. Faith gives us certitude about God and the world as it stands in relation to him. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that professing the Faith is not merely a matter of words. Rather, by professing the propositions, or “articles,” of the creed, our minds actually make contact with God himself and are “knit” to him. We not only believe what God says but believe God himself, who is the Truth (see Jn 14:6). Since faith puts us in contact with God, the things we believe by faith are critically important. Catholics must profess the Faith in its entirety without neglecting or rejecting anything. We manifest and renew our beliefs at every Sunday Mass through the profession of faith, or Creed.
If we understand the Faith as a relationship, it is easy to see the danger of being a “selective believer.” A selective believer is one who chooses certain teachings to believe and rejects others; sometimes this is called “cafeteria Catholicism.” But the Catholic faith is not an a la carte experience where we choose beliefs we like and reject beliefs we dislike. By its nature, faith involves a whole acceptance of God and what he has revealed. Faith establishes us in a relationship of trust and obedience to the true God who cannot deceive us. The selective believer puts his belief in jeopardy because he undermines the very foundation of his belief, which is a loving and trusting relationship with almighty God. The true believer accepts what the Church proposes as definitively revealed by God. The Church is God’s chosen witness, and her authority ultimately rests on the witness of the apostles. A person can sin against faith when he chooses to disregard or reject what God has revealed. (This is not the same as having questions, hesitations, difficulties, or anxiety over something God has revealed—more on that in a moment.) This can be a partial rejection of the Faith or a complete rejection of the Faith, which is called apostasy. To take part in superstitious occult practices, such as visiting a palm reader or using tarot cards, also constitutes a sin against faith. Many people freely engage in these practices light-heartedly, but it is not a joking matter. Such practices seriously undermine one’s relationship with God and expose one to the influence of evil spirits.

Worries about matters of the Faith, even sometimes serious worries, is not necessarily sinful. For example, if someone finds discrepancies in the Bible, they might begin to wonder about the authority of the Bible. It is good to seek out the answer to this concern. This is not a sin of infidelity as long as one has not withdrawn assent to the Faith or decided to stop believing. Since the object of faith remains somewhat obscure, it is normal that our intellects will continue to churn and continue to pose questions, even sometimes questions that are hard for us to answer.

To ask questions about the Faith or to seek a better explanation of what one believes is not the same as doubting in a sinful way. (To be a sin, doubt must involve a voluntary disregard or rejection of what God reveals.) In fact, it is good to probe deeper into divine mysteries. Faith seeksunderstanding. Yet we should not delay our belief in search of a perfect understanding. I would be wrong to think, “I will believe this teaching only when it makes perfect sense to me.” Our human reason is limited and so must surrender to God in order to know divine truths. If we withheld our belief until we completely comprehended all divine mysteries, we would be waiting forever. A full and mature understanding of many matters of faith is only possible from a disposition of belief. We “believe so that we may understand.” Catholics must also be content to know that answers to some questions will remain obscure and mysterious in this life. God has given us everything we need for our salvation but not necessarily everything we need to satisfy our curiosity.

While faith is a work of God in us, it is also something that we should nurture and nourish. Catholics have a responsibility to continue to learn more about their faith by reading the Scriptures, the Catechism, and various spiritual books. Catholics should also take advantage of adult education programs, Bible studies, and other groups designed to enrich their faith. Our understanding of the Faith must grow with us. An adult life of faith needs an adult understanding.

Catholics who have received the sacraments of initiation and who practice their faith wholeheartedly should know that their faith is confirmed and strengthened by God through the supernatural sense of the faith (sensus fidei). The supernatural sense of the faith is manifested when there is universal consent among the members of the Church on matters of faith and morals; this sense also allows believers to reject instinctively whatever contradicts the Faith. The Holy Spirit also helps believers penetrate the mysteries of the Faith (through the gift of understanding) and helps us grasp the surpassing value of spiritual things (through the gift of wisdom).

It is common for someone recently introduced to the Catholic faith to find certain teachings difficult to understand or contrary to their former outlook. When this happens, it is important to approach them with the right disposition. Trusting in God who is always truthful, one could pray: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24). Whenever someone has difficulty with a particular teaching of the Faith, it is best to seek out further explanation from an official guide, such as the Catechism, or pose a question …to a priest or another trusted teacher of the Faith. The Catholic faith is an interconnected whole that includes both belief and practice. Many converts find that the Faith takes on a complete, comprehensive clarity for them only after being fully initiated and beginning to practice the Faith.

Many people set faith and reason in opposition as if belief were to make one irrational. However, faith never contradicts reason. By faith, our minds are supernaturally elevated to know divine mysteries. In this sense, faith is above reason, but it is never against it. In fact, faith and reason are in fundamental harmony. Indeed, one needs to think in order to believe. One needs to grasp in some measure what is proposed for belief—for example, that Christ is true God and true man—in order to make an act of faith in what is proposed. If there seems to be a contradiction between a finding of academic research and a truth of the Catholic faith, there are not “two truths.” Either the finding of the research is false or the truth of the Faith is not properly understood. Having this view of faith and reason, Catholics can freely engage in academic or scientific pursuits without fear of discovering something that will contradict their faith or call it into question.

Pieper, Josef. Faith, Hope, and Charity. Ignatius Press, 1997.