By Fr. Roy Cimagala
THAT’S how we should see things and react to them. We have to be wary of our tendency to be guided only by our senses, feelings or our reasoning that is not yet enlightened by faith. These can only capture the externals and appearances of things. They can hardly perceive, if ever, the spiritual and supernatural dimension of our life.
Yes, we have to be wary of them because they tend to dominate the way we see and understand things. They usually have a certain aversion to anything spiritual and supernatural. To subdue and discipline them, we really need to humble ourselves to allow the light of faith to enter our mind and heart, and hopefully to educate our senses, feelings and reasoning.
When we manage to see things with faith, then we can see a lot more than what our senses, intuitions and feelings can perceive and what our mind can understand. And that’s simply because faith is a divine gift, a sharing of what God the creator and our father knows about anything and everything. We need to take care of this faith.
With faith we can find meaning, reason and purpose for everything that happens in our life, including those which we usually consider as bad occurrences in our life. With faith, we know that God continues to govern everything with his all-wise and merciful providence, and that there is nothing in our life that he cannot take advantage of to draw everything to himself. Everything, including the bad things, will work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28)
When we see things with faith, our vision would be broadened and more penetrating. We can be accepting of the mysteries and things we do not understand in our life.
With faith, we can manage to have hope as we go through the drama of our life here on earth. We would also be able to live charity even in the midst of the severest of difficulties and trials we can have. With faith, we can love everyone, regardless of how they are to us. We can be generous with initiatives, reaching out to everyone.
With faith, we can manage to have peace and joy regardless of where life would lead us. Faith will show us beauty everywhere, including in those things which in our human standards we consider to be ugly.
We should do everything to take care of this divine gift. Obviously, we need to study the doctrine of our faith that now is being authoritatively taught by the Church. This doctrine comes from Christ who is the fullness of the revelation of God to us.
And we have to understand that the doctrine of our faith should not just be an intellectual or theoretical affair for us. That doctrine has to be so assimilated in us that it becomes our life. Yes, our life has to be a life of faith, and not just biological life or rational life. As such, our faith always has to be shown in deeds. It should not just be a matter of correct ideas and good intentions.
Thus, we would always feel the need to develop the whole gamut of virtues, like humility, prudence, temperance, patience, courage, magnanimity, generosity, etc. In this, we can never say enough. Developing and growing in the virtues will be a lifelong concern for us.
Let’s learn to see things with faith!
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
