Christian Faith and the renewal of the world

Chapter 1
Faith in general
1. Faith in general

The attribute which typifies faith is simplicity. It is noticeable that even where there is mere religious sentiment, despite differences in moods or circumstances, the adhesion of the human to the divine is something eminently simple[1]. In the case of complicated or worried minds, in the case of those who appear to be oppressed by passions, problems and sorrows, a turning to God produces a change of attitude. For beneath the tensions, beneath the complexities and the superficial unrest there comes over the soul a refreshing candor, a spiritual calmness. A primordial simplicity at the very core of one’s being has been reached and released.

If this is true of religious sentiment it is far truer when genuine faith is present. The religious instinct which creates the basic relationship with the supernatural is transposed; it is planted as it were, in God himself who is both the principle and the goal of the process. Is it not absurd then, to attempt an analysis of faith, which, like life beneath the scalpel of the surgeon, defies even the most penetrating analysis? Does this mean that all attempts to understand faith must be abandoned? Does it mean that once the believer has given his consent there is no longer room for explanation or verification? “On her part, the Church cannot but set great value upon reason's drive to attain goals which render people's lives ever more worthy. She sees in philosophy the way to come to know fundamental truths about human life. At the same time, the Church considers philosophy an indispensable help for a deeper understanding of faith and for communicating the truth of the Gospel to those who do not yet know it.”[2]

Faith, simple though it may be, has a structure of its own. At first sight the attitude of the believer manifests two different psychological traits, two types of interior life which seem to constitute faith. On the one hand there is adhesion to a truth taught by God; this truth is presented in formulas, in dogmas by authorities arranged in hierarchy. On the other hand there is a private contact which is continually renewed by a direct and mysterious encounter with God. This is the uninterrupted dialogue of God with me. Neither of these two facets of faith allows of diminution or division, the whole person is involved in submission, the whole person is involved in love.

1.1 The Realism of Faith[3]

Faith is perception. It is perception through a sharing in God’s knowledge of himself. “In faith, says St. Thomas, we see with the eye of God. We see, we look and we contemplate”. Faith is not a conclusion; it is not a composition of ideas and concepts which permits us to grasp reality. Faith is also a work of will and love. From this point of view faith does not appear as the logical conclusion of an argument. God has spoken; therefore I must accept his message. Finally Faith is a strictly personal act. Love is a matter between persons. The existence of God, the first mover of the cosmos, has been proved to me; but he with whom I began and continue to hold dialogue is the God who I suddenly met on the wayside as I journeyed through life.

From these three characteristics – perception, love and the personal aspect – each reinforcing the other, we can determine what precisely is the perceptive knowledge of faith. It is a realistic knowledge; i.e., it reaches the divine being through a direct loving, personal perception.

1.2 The Formalism of Faith[4]

Faith is an intellectual virtue. One must accept given doctrines; one must think along certain given lines. The first homage a man can render God is the homage of his intelligence; and those who would live religious lives on a non-intellectual plane, i.e., where there is no assent of the mind to truth, have consecrated themselves to a vague and imaginary mystique. Faith adheres to the truth that is God, but this involves assent to dogmatic formulas, evidently material, which express the faith.

Faith is submission to a social regime. But perception and love are personally experienced things which, as such, are not transferable to others. The revealed deposit is given to the Church which transcends the human generations, and accompanied by many kinds of traditions and temporal messages it is transmitted to each soul by the community.

The “object” of this process is God himself, the Light, who is perceptible by a personal intuition that is infinitely purified; but this same God is treated as a scientific object and presented in abstract ideas by social tradition. The living truth is handed on in dogmas which are the apparatus for the transmission of concepts. The Church defines, condemns, affirms and this also is something essential to faith.

There is formalism in faith: it consists in the true incarnation of divine light in my soul. And this is also the realism of faith – a realism that is solid and genuine. Faith is a unified structure. It may be called the incarnation of divine light in human words. And just as the actions of Christ are “theandric” (fully human and fully divine) so also our reason, our concepts and our formulas are theandric in the faith. Granted faith is not simply another intellectual operation; it is supernatural. But it is not outside the natural[5].
Chapter 2
Christian faith
2. Christian faith

The best way to begin is by stating in what elements and in what way the Israelite infrastructure remains determinatively present in the Christian faith. That is especially in the ideas of: transcendence, divine freedom, God’s personal coming to man in the Word, sinful man’s resistance to this coming of God, the confidence of a radical solution in the future. The Christian faith consists primarily in the conviction that the radical solution which will become manifest in the future is now already in principle present and has been realized in the ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This event adds the following seven elements[6] to the existing faith:
1. The very personal coming of God to man in the OT, to the point of being anthromorphic, is here immeasurably intensified, and thereby given a completion as well: he comes to men in a man, in one who as “the Son” stands in the unique relationship to him as “the Father”.
2. This unique and all-surpassing coming evokes an unequalled and unsurpassable act of guilt: the condemnation of the “Son” as a blasphemer. Apparently men are not able to endure God’s nearness to them.
3. God raised Jesus from the death to which men had condemned him. He rises as a renewed man, as the man, in whom God as with “a firstfruits” makes a new beginning for the salvation of mankind.
4. In the light of resurrection the crucifixion is shown to be not only a human crime but especially a substitutionary suffering in which the Son, according the will of the Father, identifies himself with his enemies and so brings about reconciliation between God and the guilty human race.
5. Holy Spirit alone is the guarantee that men, who in themselves are unable to remain faithful to a relationship with God, can remain in such a relationship. He causes men to believe that in Jesus God’s grace has definitively appeared, and so enables them to achieve a measure of new obedience.
6. Now that the gracious coming of God has become definite in Jesus, the spirit goes beyond the confines of Israel. God’s salvation becomes universal. The good news is proclaimed everywhere to religious and atheistic people. The Church emerges and spreads as a worldwide community of people who believe that in Jesus God has become man.
7. In the Christian faith, just as in the OT, the fullness of salvation lies in the future. But the future is now viewed as the return of Jesus to establish his Kingdom, as the unfolding and disclosure of the powers already operative in our history, in His Resurrection and in the work of Holy Spirit.
The relation to the OT infrastructure is also exhibited by the conception of faith that is found in the NT. This conception is both closely related to and different from that in OT. In the NT, too, faith is the human correlate of the words and deeds through which God associates with man, namely as a posture of “firmly believing” and thus of “trusting in”. In the NT that faith is related primarily to a person to whom man may entrust himself, because in him salvation in the sense of reconciliation and of adoption as children of God has already become reality.

In the Christian faith the thought of a methodological solvability of the truth question is cut off at the root by the confession of the Holy Spirit. For this confession implies that from himself man can not discover the truth about God because only God can make God known to us. At the heart of Christian faith is the testimony of the New Testament[7]. The truth of the Christian faith can not be articulated beforehand but only reveal itself to the hearer or reader in the proclamation and the exposition of the contents of the faith, because he becomes aware that this is the true knowledge of God and this is man’s true salvation. But the deepest ground for this awareness of the truth remains hidden to him, let alone that he would be able to make it clear to an outsider.

Chapter 3
Study of Christian faith
3. Study of Christian faith

The Christian Faith begins past a number of forks and some cracks. Moving about in this new territory one senses the need for reflection on his new situation. This need is inherent in being human. With the believer this urge for elucidation can go in either of two directions. Looking back, he can think about and desire to give an account of his relationship to what lies before the crossroads and clefts, here he seeks to enter into dialogue with those who have not made that choice with him. In the second direction he can be interested in satisfying a more basic need, namely to obtain greater clarity about his own situation and what is unique about it. Then the question is not, Why do I believe? But, What do I believe? Then one doesn’t think toward the faith but one proceeds from the faith itself. This is done in what we call here the “study of the faith”. From this we may describe the study of the Christian faith as: a systematic examination of the contents of the relationship which God in Christ has entered into with us[8].
3.1 Motives

In the history of the Church we find several motives that have led to reflection o the faith. The very earliest articulations, consisting of longer or shorter creedal statements, had their origin in the missionary situation and the catechetical needs of the church; the core of the faith relationship needed to be articulated so that outsiders would know what it was about. Soon afterward another motive was added: the Church needed help so that it could cope with the confusion being caused by contradictory presentations of the Gospel. In addition, through the ages, regular church life, and especially preaching, has had a need for a brief and more systematic summary of the contents of the faith, within which could be placed the results of individual interpretations of the Bible. Most recently yet another motive has strongly come to the fore: since secularism radically took over the dominance Christianity used to have in Europe, including the Church, many have become deeply alienated from the language of the Bible and of the Church.
This gap, which is a very much gap between the generations, at last in part, must be bridged. To the study of the faith falls then the task to come with the language and the concepts that are needed for a translation of the faith that bridges the gap. It thus becomes primarily a handmaid of the hermeneutical process of the tradition, the transmission of the faith to those who have not understood it in the traditional forms[9]. Study of the faith is fruitful only if it is carried on with an awareness of the mentality and the situation of the people whom it can and must help. The Church not only needs study of the faith for the translation of the faith to others, but also to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of what she believes herself, and so to be strengthened in her struggle to live by that faith.
Therefore we can say that reflection on the faith, apart from arising out of the general human need for clarification, arises from the needs of exegesis, catechesis, polemics, hermeneutics and the confrontation between the world and the Church which is constantly subject to its attacks. Behind that we perceive the deepest and most comprehensive motive, what we may call the “noon-self-evidence” of the Christian faith. This faith arises by no means, as with an inner necessity, out of the given reality.
3.2 Essence

The essence of the study of faith is best grasped if we regard it as an element in the sanctification of the Church. In the faith-relationship God seizes us for himself with his love. We may respond to that by loving him with our whole being and therefore with our entire mind. The study of the faith is not the only form, but certainly one of the forms of our loving God with the mind. Only in the context of the sanctification do its nature and contours come out. To love is an aimless something, because it finds its purpose in itself. If this love is an element in the sanctification of the existence, it is part of the struggle the believer and the people of God are engaged in against the forces within and without that draw them away from the faith.
This context of sanctification makes us aware of still another aspect. Sanctification happens in what systematic theology calls “works” or “good works”. Imperceptibly the aimless work of gratitude can become an achievement in which man seeks himself and lives for himself. This danger is particularly great in the exercise of the study of the faith. Because of the intellectual nature of this activity, the threat of the intellectual pride is ever present. The Church has always had a keen nose for this danger of theological self-justification, more than most theologians themselves. True theologizing is only in part dependent on the intellectual capacities of the student of theology[10].

One of the basic problems of dogmatics is the contrast between relationship and objectification. “Faith” is a relationship, “study” or exposition is an objectifying activity, and consequently study of the faith looks very much like a contradiction in terms. A love relationship can be experienced; it can also be studied; but can one ever do both at the same time! These two may not be identified, in theology the second is a constantly present threat, and the first is the only thing hat may legitimately be done. It does mean that all right thinking about God arises out of the encounter with God and is aimed at the encounter with God. When we are engaged in this thinking, we are involved in it, more than with other intellectual activities, with our total existence. The possibility of making this true and meaningful thinking depends on the relationship which from the other side is established by the Holy Spirit. The study of the faith has a modest but indispensable function. It can be compared to map of geographical area. Such a map is based on acquaintance with the landscape and is intended to familiarize the user with the totality and the coherence of the area. Detached from that coherence the map becomes an abstraction or a substitute. The drawer of the map knows that he does it for the user and with a view to his needs. But while drawing, his only concern is to draft as good a map as possible.
3.3 Reach and limits

What validity can be ascribed to the results of this “systematic examination of the contents of the relationship into which God in Christ has entered into with us”. The truth contents of the Christian study–of–the-faith are entirely dependent on the truth which we ascribe to the Christian faith-relationship. At the same time it must be said that the truth of the study of the faith remains as such far behind the faith itself. Because every study of the faith is an intellectually clarifying reaction of an individual believer to the faith–relationship, a reaction determined by particular needs, by his tradition, and by individual preferences. A study of faith may thus include all kinds of things that can not be derived from the faith itself, and it will always leave out much that does belong to a total experience of the faith-relationship. It is thus impossible that the faith ever be identified with any theological model.

The questions arising here can be summarized in the question: is study of the faith a science? Scientific activity always presupposes an a priori given reality which it seeks to penetrate and elucidate with the use of analytical and combinative concepts that bring order, coherence and insight into that reality. The same is true in the study of the faith. Science is based on a mode of experience, investigation and verification which in principle is common to everyone. But the study of the faith is based on a conviction that lacks this commonness and of which it is said that it is brought about by a special working of the Holy Spirit[11].

The study of the faith can hardily think of itself as anything else than a form of the human activity called “science”. For faith implies the conviction that it directs itself to reality, namely the highest reality. It also wishes to concern itself with this reality using the conceptual approach that is characteristic of science. At the same time faith knows that its claim to truth and that the claim of the study of the faith that it is scientific in character find no recognition outside the community of believers. This is the direct consequence of the non-self-evident place the Christian faith has in the whole of reality, because the encounter with God is unpredictable and on account of sin even improbable. But the study of the faith can not let go of the claim that it is scientific in character. Moreover, she will be conscious of the fact that by this insistence she makes her own contribution against an empiricistic narrowing of the concept of science. Beyond that she will simply have to wait and see whether with this claim she finds acceptance in her cultural environment. Whether she gets this recognition or not will have no influence on how she understands herself and her task.

Chapter 4
The place of the world in the faith and renewal of the world
4. The place of the world in the faith and renewal of the world[12]

The Christian faith is person-oriented. The important thing is the conversion and renewal of people. Faith as such is a personal matter, yet it is not personalistic. For the person is only himself within and by virtue of a community, a totality of people and structures. That wider totality which makes one really a person we call “world”. It is a big and vague term and therefore can also have other meanings. It can stand for all mankind living today, or the totality of mankind and nature.

It could be defended that faith actually has nothing to do with the world. This view is so widespread that theology textbooks hardly ever devote special attention to this theme. Even in the seminaries ‘world’ is away from study of faith. It is a fatal mistake. The God who created man, created him as human being in the world, and therefore he also created world. The important thing is man, but precisely for that reason the world is important as well. Man and world are the two sides of one reality. They are not reducible to each other but can only define each other. For that reason Christian conceptions of creation, of renewal, and of consummation are bound to remain abstract, unless the world is included in the consideration. Particularly the doctrine of renewal has suffered from this neglect. On the one hand it reduces it to a study of man who is detached from his world and therefore is all too often unreal, not a real creature of real flesh and blood; on the other hand, by its silence about the world it suggests that this world is irrelevant for the faith, either because it is capable of saving itself or because it is unsaveably lost. Neither can be true. If it’s God’s desire to renew man, it must also be his desire to renew the world. Else he would renew only half a man.

In Bible the renewal of the word is a distinct theme: in the Pentateuchal laws and Israel’s theocracy social and international prophetic messages and judgments concerning social and international problems, in Jesus’ words and deeds in which he condemns the rich and defends the cause of the poor, in Paul’s thoughts on Christ’s lordship over the powers, in the admonitions in the epistles on the relationship of Jews and Greeks, the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, citizens and government, master and slave, husband and wife, parents and children.
In order to be able to make responsible statements in this area, we start with a thesis: the renewing work of the Spirit in the world exhibits an analogy to his work in man. Analogy denotes similarity and difference. Speaking of man’s renewal we use concepts like sanctification, freedom, love, dying and rising again, struggle and progress. We start from the assumption that of the Spirit works in the world, there are bound to be analogies of these concepts. For the world is the institutional manifestation and extension of what man himself is. Structures can be sanctified by God, that is, be made serviceable. They can promote or obstruct freedom and love. Also within the structures the battle rages between egotism and love. And also in this area the concepts of progressing and even progress are central.
4.1 The sanctification of the world

In the study of the faith sanctification indicates the manner in which God’s holy love motivates man’s thinking and acting. In that strict sense the word is not applicable to the societal and other structures of the world. Structures can not be motivated. They channel and combine the human activities. For that reason they can greatly hamper by stymieing or killing the sanctifying forces. For e.g. an employer seeks to create the best possible working conditions for his employees, but is frustrated in his attempts by the profit motive and the competition inherent in the present economic system.

In sanctified structures, the object is forms of government, legislation, forms of discussion and arbitration, written and unwritten rules for dealing with one another, relationships of the sexes and the generations, employers and employees, well-to-do and poor people, associations and countries, etc. which as much as possible allow the transmission or at least room for the purpose of God’s holy love. Let’s us examine how and whether the renewing work of the Spirit has a bearing on these societal forms. We must distinguish a three fold relation[13] of the Spirit to the structures:
1. The Spirit (God himself in his relationship to the world) also works in the creation and preservation of the world. Man is not forsaken of God. Otherwise he would live in a complete hell. But everywhere in the world, in the living memory, the structures in which they live have forced people in spite of their egotism and lethargy to work together, and so in their actions to love their neighbour as themselves. People create somewhat sanctified structures, and those structures force people to conduct themselves in a somewhat sanctified manner.
2. Tying in with and deepening, correcting, and extending that work, the Spirit works through sanctified people as instruments of love. Such people are not only interested in what is socially useful and possible, but their first concern is what is normative. They give themselves to the task of enabling the structures to accomplish more deeds of love, but also wherever possible try to transform them so that they allow more scope and greater effectiveness to these deeds.
3. The societo-critical notions thus introduced by the Spirit can persuade many who apart from this special operation of the Spirit know themselves responsible for the preservation and betterment of the world. Just as believers, such people can become bearers of this objective sanctifying work of ht Spirit.

We can thus arrive at a conclusion that “the renewal of the world is not a direct fruit of the renewal of the people, but follows its own ways”[14]. Yet these, too, are ways of Holy Spirit, Christ as the head of the Church as also has been made the head of the mankind. Conformity to his image is not only intended for individuals, but for mankind in its totality and thus also for the mode of its communal life. Therefore the Spirit also directs himself to that second aspect.

Chapter 5
The condition of man in a Technological civilization
5. The condition of man in a Technological civilization[15]

It is easy enough to show that technology has produced evil effects – physical, psychological, moral and cultural. I refer to evil consequences de facto, not de jure, not from the nature of things. In an inordinate over-evaluation of any exciting discovery men are often inclined to regard it as an absolute. This is a perversion of the order of values, and sometimes it has assumed serious proportions, but no matter how often it occurs it does not show that technology of itself (de jure) is inhuman.

We shall try to indicate the reasons why technology of its very nature, by reason of its normal effect on human condition leads many people to denounce it or at least to regard it with suspicion. Those are the people who hold that technology is intrinsically evil and opposed to the religious teaching on the human condition and to the Christian vision of the world.

5.1 The Desacralization of the world

As technology extends geographically and socially, one of its effects becomes agonizing for the believer: the deterioration of the religious behaviour which is due to a decreasing awareness of the mystery of the divinity. The result of technology is a true revolution in the imaginative and mental habits of people. The religious tied to a particular social mentality find the change burdensome, and they react by resisting the mechanical novelty, if religion is to be an emanation of the faith in the word of God it will strike off the shackles of primitive ignorance and discover the real presence of the Creator within the autonomous human project of world construction. It is a feeble theology which imposes on God something which human co-creative liberty can itself accomplish. Furthermore the true religion of Christ desacralizes nature; faith in the word of God does not have the knowledge or the control of nature for its object or its support.

God does not dwell at the ever-changing frontier of our knowledge as the stop-gap of our ignorance. The first law of scientific and technical rationality is that it must not decide in advance that a particular zone is outside its scope and belongs to the realm of mystery. Let nature reveal itself, let man gain control of matter; and the faith will inhabit its own domain, in the enjoyment of its own object, with no regrets for the objects, the discoveries, the organizations of reason which is, itself, the image of God.
5.2 The Tragic Two-sidedness of the World[16]
From early childhood we are constantly confronted by the unpleasant fact that the world in which we live is two-sided and contradictory. On one hand, it is majestic and beautiful. Nature enchants us with her beauty, her immenseness and her gentleness. Life beckons to us with all its riddles and its boundless possibilities. We sometimes feel within ourselves great energy and ability. We think that everything has been set up for our happiness, our enjoyment and our progress.

At the same time, we constantly run up against the fact that so much of what is enchanting and beautiful about this world ends in destruction and death. In nature there are storms, earthquakes, drought and epidemics, from which plants and animals suffer and die. In human society we see deception, dissension, robbery, violence and war. In families we see enmity and quarrelling. Even in ourselves we frequently feel discord and disturbances. We are afflicted with doubts; we are affected by unexpected troubles and disappointments; we are deprived of our planned activities by illness. It appears that there is nothing sure and constant in the world. Fame does not endure. Riches slip away between our fingers. Brief moments of happiness are followed by long periods of emptiness and aimlessness. Material things become tiresome. Friends deceive us. Loved ones betray our trust. Dreams do not come true. A few minutes of joy are succeeded by a feeling of barrenness and discontent. Youth is replaced by old age. Death is always waiting for people of every age, waiting to cast down into the dust all human hopes and plans.

What is the reason for these opposite and contradictory perceptions of the world? Why does the world seem to give with one hand, only to take away with the other hand? Why does it build up only to tear down? Is it possible that it gives us times of joy only in order to make our disappointment more bitter later? Does the world allure us only to strike at us? Does it give us the joy of life only that it may later grieve us mercilessly with death?

Furthermore, if the world is by its very nature a duality, like the positive and negative charges of atomic particles, then why is it that we, who are an organic part of it, cannot reconcile ourselves to this duality, but rather long for complete harmony and order? Why do we have within us such a burning thirst for life and endless happiness, when death and dissolution are just as natural as life and development? What is more, no matter how much we tell ourselves that someday we will all have to die, and that death is the natural end of every creature, we have a stubborn subconscious resistance to this thought; we demand the continuation of life, even when it is linked with incredible effort and suffering.

It turns out that the greatest contradiction in this world lies within our very selves. There is some aspect of our nature which does not think and feel according to the laws of the physical world, but according to some other, spiritual, kind of laws. This is why man can never be reconciled with the facts of destruction and death. They will always remain for him things that are unnatural and unacceptable. Everyone, perhaps without thinking about it, would like to live in a world free from contradictions, a world where harmony and justice rule, where joy is not dimmed by sorrow, where life knows no end.

Is it possible that, as asserted by certain philosophers, our soul once dwelt in some other and better world, filled with harmony, and that it then fell into this imperfect world against its own will, and therefore it subconsciously longs for the ideal world? Such a possibility is fascinating, and it could partially explain the general dissatisfaction felt by mankind, but isn't it just a dream?

Belief in the existence of God, in His infinite goodness and power, suggests to us that He made us for happiness. It is He Who gave us an unquenchable thirst for perfection and the attainment of happiness; therefore, there must be another world, one which is better and more perfect than ours. But where is it and how do we reach it?
A clear and precise answer to this most important and besetting question is provided by Christianity. It unequivocally affirms that there really does exist another and better world, called paradise or the kingdom of heaven, in which the angels and the souls of just dwell. It is a world without the contradictions and injustices of our own; it is free from crime, violence, sickness and death. It is a world where never-ending life and harmony are the rule, where all rational beings, illumined by the life-giving light of their Creator, ceaselessly contemplate His beauty and rejoice in His incalculable mercies. Our physical world was also created by God for goodness, life and happiness, but sin has disfigured and corrupted it.
5.3 What modern man is afraid of[17]
The man of today seems ever to be under threat from what he produces, that is to say from the result of the work of his hands and, even more so, of the work of his intellect and the tendencies of his will. All too soon, and often in an unforeseeable way, what this manifold activity of man yields is not only subjected to "alienation", in the sense that it is simply taken away from the person who produces it, but rather it turns against man himself, at least in part, through the indirect consequences of its effects returning on himself. It is or can be directed against him. This seems to make up the main chapter of the drama of present-day human existence in its broadest and universal dimension. Man therefore lives increasingly in fear. He is afraid that what he produces-not all of it, of course, or even most of it, but part of it and precisely that part that contains a special share of his genius and initiative-can radically turn against himself; he is afraid that it can become the means and instrument for an unimaginable self-destruction, compared with which all the cataclysms and catastrophes of history known to us seem to fade away. This gives rise to a question: Why is it that the power given to man from the beginning by which he was to subdue the earth turns against himself, producing an understandable state of disquiet, of conscious or unconscious fear and of menace, which in various ways is being communicated to the whole of the present-day human family and is manifesting itself under various aspects?
This state of menace for man from what he produces shows itself in various directions and various degrees of intensity. We seem to be increasingly aware of the fact that the exploitation of the earth, the planet on which we are living, demands rational and honest planning. At the same time, exploitation of the earth not only for industrial but also for military purposes and the uncontrolled development of technology outside the framework of a long-range authentically humanistic plan often bring with them a threat to man's natural environment, alienate him in his relations with nature and remove him from nature. Man often seems to see no other meaning in his natural environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption. Yet it was the Creator's will that man should communicate with nature as an intelligent and noble "master" and "guardian", and not as a heedless "exploiter" and "destroyer".
The development of technology and the development of contemporary civilization, which is marked by the ascendancy of technology, demand a proportional development of morals and ethics. For the present, this last development seems unfortunately to be always left behind. Accordingly, in spite of the marvel of this progress, in which it is difficult not to see also authentic signs of man's greatness, signs that in their creative seeds were revealed to us in the pages of the Book of Genesis, as early as where it describes man's creation, this progress cannot fail to give rise to disquiet on many counts. The first reason for disquiet concerns the essential and fundamental question: Does this progress, which has man for its author and promoter, make human life on earth "more human" in every aspect of that life? Does it make it more "worthy of man"? There can be no doubt that in various aspects it does. But the question keeps coming back with regard to what is most essential -whether in the context of this progress man, as man, is becoming truly better, that is to say more mature spiritually, more aware of the dignity of his humanity, more responsible, more open to others, especially the neediest and the weakest, and readier to give and to aid all.
This question must be put by Christians, precisely because Jesus Christ has made them so universally sensitive about the problem of man. The same question must be asked by all men, especially those belonging to the social groups that are dedicating themselves actively to development and progress today. As we observe and take part in these processes we cannot let ourselves be taken over merely by euphoria or be carried away by one-sided enthusiasm for our conquests, but we must all ask ourselves, with absolute honesty, objectivity and a sense of moral responsibility, the essential questions concerning man's situation today and in the future. Do all the conquests attained until now and those projected for the future for technology accord with man's moral and spiritual progress? In this context is man, as man, developing and progressing or is he regressing and being degraded in his humanity? In men and "in man's world", which in itself is a world of moral good and evil, does good prevail over evil? In men and among men is there a growth of social love, of respect for the rights of others-for every man, nation and people-or on the contrary is there an increase of various degrees of selfishness, exaggerated nationalism instead of authentic love of country, and also the propensity to dominate others beyond the limits of one's legitimate rights and merits and the propensity to exploit the whole of material progress and that in the technology of production for the exclusive purpose of dominating others or of favouring this or that imperialism?
These are the essential questions that the Church is bound to ask herself, since they are being asked with greater or less explicitness by the thousands of millions of people now living in the world. The subject of development and progress is on everybody's lips and appears in the columns of all the newspapers and other publications in all the languages of the modern world. Let us not forget however that this subject contains not only affirmations and certainties but also questions and points of anguished disquiet. The latter are no less important than the former. They fit in with the dialectical nature of human knowledge and even more with the fundamental need for solicitude by man for man, for his humanity, and for the future of people on earth. Inspired by eschatological faith, the Church considers an essential, unbreakably united element of her mission this solicitude for man, for his humanity, for the future of men on earth and therefore also for the course set for the whole of development and progress. She finds the principle of this solicitude in Jesus Christ himself, as the Gospels witness. This is why she wishes to make it grow continually through her relationship with Christ, reading man's situation in the modern world in accordance with the most important signs of our time.[18]
5.4 Faith and knowledge[19]

In our time of many scientific achievements it has become customary to belittle faith in comparison to intellect. Knowledge is regarded as something firmly founded, positive, and completely objective. Faith, on the other hand, is considered to be arbitrary, subjective and unproved. However, both high confidence in scientific knowledge and disregard of faith are pathetic misconceptions.
First of all, to regard present knowledge as absolutely certain, proven and representing the absolute truth is very naive and historically unfounded. Perhaps it is an “ideal” of knowledge but not its state. It would be worthwhile to compare the theories about matter throughout human history — during ancient times, then towards the end of the last century, the middle of this one, and finally the latest discoveries of quantum mechanics — in order to be convinced that scientific ideas radically change with each new generation. Similar “revolutions” can be observed in all fields of science — in physics, astronomy, biology, medicine, etc. That which was considered to be unquestionably true yesterday is rejected today. As new scientists become popular for their discoveries, the old ones gradually fade into oblivion. We may well ponder that if humanity survives yet for a few more centuries, our descendants will discuss ironically the primitive ideas and theories of the “dark” twentieth century.
This fact should convince us that of most value, is not knowledge in itself, but the ability to investigate deeper and deeper into the secrets of nature. And here, the propellant of science is not rationalistic knowledge based on the five human senses but intuitive vision. Many philosophers and scientists have experienced a sudden enlightenment which gave birth to their discoveries and new theories. Intuition, like faith, is a very valuable ability. It resembles faith but is a step below it, since intuition relates to the physical domain, whereas faith to the spiritual.
No one will dispute that the engineer's knowledge is valuable for practical matters such as designing and constructing something. But if no scientists existed, who by their intuition unlocked the secrets of nature, then engineers would have nothing to study, and human knowledge would be very limited. Thus it is not knowledge but intuition that leads to the progress of science.
Comparing faith to other elevated human abilities, we see that it, like intuition, broadens human reason. It gives men access to that which is unattainable by corporal senses. Thus, thanks to faith, we come to the conviction that the world which surrounds us is not eternal but came to existence by the will of One Wise Creator. He created us and gave us an immortal soul so that we may share with Him eternal and blessed life. As a matter of fact, faith was often ahead of scientific discoveries by stating, for example, that our world is not eternal but appeared some time ago from “nothing” (the “Big bang” theory), that its origin is not matter but energy, that it gradually evolved from lower to higher states (theory of evolution), that there is a unity in the laws of nature (modern searches for a unifying force), that there should exist other worlds different from ours (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), and so on.
Thanks to personal contact with God, believers receive a special sense of truth, a faculty to perceive what reason is yet incapable of comprehending. For example, the forthcoming resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and the beginning of eternal life are all beyond our everyday experience and any possibility of verification, and yet we perceive these future events as certain truths and “know” that they will happen. Thus faith, as a spiritual eye, gives us the ability to perceive what lies far away on the horizon of the future.
However, even the most sensitive eye cannot see without light. Similarly, faith needs the spiritual light of divine revelation. God, in His love for us, revealed through the prophets, the apostles, and especially through His Only Begotten Son, all that is necessary for us to know for the spiritual development and salvation of our souls. Thus, God has revealed to us the mystery of the Trinity and of the Divine attributes, the mystery of the Incarnation and the power of the redeeming sufferings of the Son of God, the significance of His resurrection for our spiritual rebirth and corporal Resurrection on the last day of this world and so forth.
But by saying that the ability to believe is above physical knowledge, we do not wish to exclude reason or logical thinking. On the contrary, according to the plan of the Creator, all spiritual capabilities must be in harmony and reinforce one another. Genuine faith must not be blind nor light. Gullibility discloses laziness of the soul, naiveté of the mind. Reason must help faith to differentiate between truth and delusion. Calm exploration of religious truth makes faith more definite and founded. The Lord Jesus Christ never demanded blind faith from His followers. On the contrary, He advised the Jews, “Search the Scriptures; because they testify of Me” (John 5:39). He also suggested that unbelievers examine His miracles in order to be convinced of His Divine ministry: “Though you not believe Me, believe the works [that I do], that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10, 38). Likewise, the apostles urged the early Christians to use reason and discretion in questions concerning faith: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4, 1). In particular the apostles urged their disciples to hold to sound doctrine, rejecting fables and human fabrications (2 Tim. 1, 13; 4, 3).
Thus, it is erroneous to set reason against faith; they complement and reinforce each other. Reason is for searching out, proving and substantiating. It protects faith from delusion and humanity from fanaticism. Faith, on the other hand, is the driving force that opens new horizons, elevates us to new heights. It can be compared to an engine, while reason to a steering wheel. Without the engine the car will not move, and without the steering wheel it may crash.
Chapter 6
The Christian society and faith
6. The Christian society and faith.
6.1 The Need for the Church[20]
The mystery of the Church, the kingdom of God — a mystery which is great and wise, surpassing our understanding — was brought into being by Christ in the following way. First, when He was baptized by John in the Jordan, at the moment when the Holy Spirit came down and the voice of the Father was heard, He sanctified the nature of water. By this act the water of Baptism became a conduit of God's grace, which gives a man new birth. Christ taught that a man is spiritually born and becomes a member of the Church only by being “born of water and of the Spirit” in the sacrament of Baptism (John 3, 5).
Just as a newborn infant requires nourishment in order to grow, so also one who is born anew in the mystery of Baptism requires spiritual nourishment, which the Lord gives us in the sacrament of Holy Communion, of which He says: “I am that bread of life. ... The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. ... Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. ... He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me” (John 6,48‑57).
At His Mystical Supper, the evening before He suffered on the Cross, Christ Himself first changed bread into His true Flesh and wine into His true Blood and gave them in communion to His disciples, thereby showing them how the Sacrament of Holy Communion should be observed.
From that time on, the sacrament of Holy Communion has been celebrated at a divine service, called the Liturgy. Believers receive the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ and are thereby united with Him, and not in a purely abstract or mystical sense, but really and truly! The whole being of a man, spiritual and physical, partakes of the spiritual and physical life of Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Love opens a path to spiritual closeness; moreover, in Holy Communion, while people are united with Christ, they are united with one another at the same time, and in Christ they become a single whole, a living organism, called the Church. This is why the Apostle Paul called the Church the Body of Christ (Col. 1, 24).
Just as the Incarnation of the Son of God was accomplished by the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Virgin Mary, so also the Church was founded on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Whom Jesus Christ sent from the Father to the Apostles on the fiftieth day after His Resurrection. Since that day the Holy Spirit has remained with the Church constantly, giving it life, illuminating it and cultivating it as a single living organism of the Body of Christ, consisting of many “members,” faithful Christians.
There is something which must not be forgotten, especially in our times when Christianity is being split up into more and more churches and “jurisdictions.” Man is called to be saved not by a mere mental acknowledgement of the truth of Christianity, and not merely by his own best efforts, but by belonging organically to the living body of the Church. Only in the Church, in this mystical Body of Christ, does the believer find correct spiritual guidance and the strength necessary for an authentically Christian life.
6.2 Faith as the key to God's treasures
Faith draws a person into a living communication with God in heartfelt, concentrated prayer. When a person comes into close contact with the Almighty, then, according to the words of the Savior, everything becomes possible to him: “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive … If you have faith as (small as) a mustard seed, and you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 21, 22; 17, 20). Thus even the smallest faith can work wonders provided it is wholesome and healthy like a mustard seed. The great miracle worker Saint John of Kronstadt, speaking from his own experience, called faith “the key to God's treasures.”
True faith has nothing to do with self-confidence. Greatly mistaken are those who confuse faith with ordinary auto-suggestion. Some sectarian preachers teach that one must convince oneself of whatever one desires, for example: in health, success, or well-being — and that is enough to obtain it. These auto-suggestions resemble a game in which a child imagines that he is sailing across the sea or riding a horse while he sits on the floor in his room. Faith built on self-suggestion leads to self-delusion and a spiritual catastrophe.
True faith acts not by the power of imagination or self-hypnosis but in that it joins a person to the ultimate Source of all life and strength — to Almighty God. Faith is like a vessel with which one scoops up from the Divine fountain, and prayer acts as an arm with which one reaches into it. It is important to take recourse prudently to the power of faith. Because only God knows what is best for us, in praying one should be less concerned about pressing one's own desires and more about understanding what is the will of God. After all, prayer should not become a monologue but a two-way conversation. And in every conversation one must learn to listen as well. When we sincerely pray to God, He replies to us in our heart and in subsequent external circumstances.
Turning to the Gospel accounts, we see that those people who possessed an exceptionally strong faith as, for example, the Roman centurion, the Canaanite woman, the friends of the paralytic, and others, were all very far from any elation or pathos. Actually, they all were extremely humble people (Matt. 8, 10; 15, 22; 9, 2). The combination of strong faith and humility is not accidental. A deeply believing person feels, more than anyone else, the greatness and the almightiness of God. And the more he realizes it, the more keenly he becomes aware of his own limitations and deficiency. The great miracle workers such as, for example, the prophets Moses and Elisha, the apostles Peter and Paul and those like them were always distinguished by profound humility.
6.3 Faith acting through love
Is there an interrelationship between faith and good works? Some ask: is faith alone sufficient for salvation, or are good works also necessary? The fact that many contemporary Christians oppose faith to good works reveals how impoverished and distorted their concept of Christianity has become. True faith extends not only over man's mind but over all the powers of his soul, including the heart and will. Many contemporary preachers have narrowed the concept of faith to a rational acceptance of the Gospel's teaching. They declare: “Only believe, and you will be saved.” The error here, just as with the pharisaic approach, consists in the formal and legalistic understanding of salvation. The Jews in Christ's time taught justification by fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, while Protestants since Luther's times teach justification by faith alone, independent of good works. Traditional Christianity, however, calls for complete spiritual re-birth: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5, 17). Salvation is not only the resettlement from earth to paradise but the grace-filled state of man's renewed soul. According to our Lord: “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17, 21). In this renewed state a complete harmony is established between internal convictions and external behavior. Here good works become fruits which naturally grow on a healthy tree. And on the contrary, lack of good works testify of an ill and dying soul.
Now, spiritual re-birth is not achieved instantaneously. Christ's words to those who believed, “Thy faith has saved thee,” (Matt. 9, 22) refer to that crucial turning point made by those who have decided to break with the past and follow Jesus Christ. Without this radical change in thinking, any improvement and spiritual progress are impossible. Naturally, after a person has chosen the right path he must subsequently walk on it, i.e., apply its high principles with patience and perseverance. All New Testament books speak about working on oneself and becoming more like Christ: “We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6, 4). What is needed here is not abstract faith but that which acts through love (Gal. 5, 6).
The Apostle James firmly rises up against those who separate faith from good works, saying: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, `Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? … But someone will say, `You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble!” Further, the apostle gives examples of righteous men and women of old who proved their faith by their works, and he draws the following conclusion: “Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2, 14-26).
The Apostle Paul likewise does not recognize faith without its fruit: “Though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, and have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13, 2-3). Therefore, correct understanding of faith dispels all doubt as to which is more important — faith or works. They are inseparable, like the light and warmth of a flame.
7. Conclusion

Thus, among the many talents and faculties of the human spirit, faith is the most precious of the Divine gifts. Faith broadens man's horizons and gives him a proper outlook, reveals to him the purpose of his life, encourages him during hard times and gladdens his heart, empowers his prayer and gives him access to a multitude of God's treasures and mercies.

Sadly, however, our life of plenty and well-being weakens our faith, and God's goodness gets forgotten. As faith grows dim, a man's inner condition becomes increasingly disordered: he loses clarity of thought and purpose of life, his spiritual strength leaves him, emptiness and despondency firmly set into his heart, he becomes irritable and dissatisfied with everything. After all, the soul cannot live without faith, just as a plant cannot live without light and moisture. No matter how intelligent and talented he might be, with faith extinguished a person descends to the level of a cunning animal, or even a predator.

In order to escape such a “shipwreck of faith” (1 Tim. 1, 19), one must seriously concern oneself with the renewal of his soul. But how? We know that all talents require exercise: to preserve a sharp mind, it must be engaged in mental work; so that fingers maintain their flexibility, it is necessary to practice on a musical instrument; to have the body remain limber, it is necessary to do gymnastic exercises; and so on. If people expend so much energy and money to develop and preserve their physical abilities, should not we Christians strive to strengthen our spiritual capabilities?

Specifically: to strengthen our faith, we must live spiritually. This includes regular reading of the Holy Scripture, meditation about God and the purpose of our life, fasting and prayer. When praying, one must make an effort to concentrate on the meaning of the words and feel the presence of God. It is also important to repent sincerely for one's sins, go to Confession and take Communion on a regular basis. Finally, one must try to live not for oneself alone but for the good of one's neighbor and one's church. The heart of one who loves is warmed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Of course, in trying to lead a Christian life one cannot avoid battles, trials and difficulties. At times it may seem that the whole world is armed against us. These are unwanted but precious periods in which we are given the opportunity to grow spiritually and become better Christians.


In striving to strengthen our faith, let us always remember that ultimately faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul testified to this: “The fruit of the Spirit is: joy, love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, faith” (Gal. 5, 22). Let us, therefore, ask God for faith, that great spiritual treasure. As Jesus Christ has promised: “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7, 7). And as faith grows, it will bring with it peace of mind, joy, and a foretaste of final triumph over all evil. “This is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5, 4).







Bibliography


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JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (Vatican, 15 March 1979)
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[1] Henry Edward, The Grounds of Faith, p 5
[2] Fides et ratio, 5
[3] Chenu. M.D., Faith and Theology, p 2
[4] Chenu. M.D., Faith and Theology, p 3
[5] Chenu, MD, Faith and Theolgy, p 7
[6] Chenu, MD, Faith and Theolgy, p 20
[7] William Temple, Christian Faith and Life, p 95
[8] Hendrikus Berkhof, An Introduction to the study of Faith, p 26
[9] An Introduction to the Study of the Faith, p 27
[10] “Theology teaches God, is taught by God, and leads to God”.
[11] William Temple, Christian Faith and Life, p 96
[12] Hendrikus Berkhof, An Introduction to the study of Faith, p 500
[13] An Introduction to the Study of the Faith, p 507

[14] William Temple, Christian Faith and Life, p 127
[15] Chenu. M.D., Faith and Theology, p 219
[16] Real Faith, www.thercg.org
[17] Redemptor hominis, 15
[18] Redemptor hominis, 15
[19] On Church, www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/
[20] William Temple, Christian Faith and Life, p 126