Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. If someone were to ask you what was the “core” of your faith, how would you respond? Is it strong enough to base your whole life on it? Why or why not?
2. How would you respond to the following questions from the article: “If I have new life in Jesus and my old life is dead, why is sin still so active in me? Why do I still struggle with anger, guilt, lust, and envy, if this part of me died at baptism?”
3. Why is it important to recognize that faith is a gift from God, not something that comes just from our own efforts? In what ways are we called to cooperate with this gift from God?
4. Discuss some steps you can take to help strengthen your faith so it is a more active part of your life? In what ways can you, and the other men in your church, support one another in strengthening each other’s faith?
5. What do you think is meant by the expression “bold faith”? Share some times in your life when you stepped out in faith and experienced God’s grace and blessing.
[Editor's Note: This is the first in a five part series on being a man of faith.]
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
A friend of mine once told me, “Religion and faith are more suited to women. It appeals to them more because they are more spiritual and sensitive to those things. Men are providers and warriors so religion and faith don’t appeal to them very much.” There may be some elements of truth in what my friend said, but I disagree with his conclusions. I believe that all Catholic men are called by God to be men of faith. When I consider this call, three questions come to mind: 1) What do we put our faith in? 2) Where does this faith come from? and 3) How do we live a life of faith?
What do we put our faith in? A concise (and possibly the most profound) answer to this question is, “We put our faith in Jesus and His finished work on the cross.” John 3:16 summarizes this as follows: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Perhaps, that is why it is such a popular Bible verse, why it is quoted all the time, and why we see it on banners at athlete events. It tells of the good news which has been proclaimed for two thousand years. God the Most High, uncreated Creator, sent His only Son into the world to save the people He created. He didn’t treat us as we deserved, condemning us as sinners for our disobedience. Instead, in His amazing love, God the Father allowed His Son to become the sacrifice for our sins, redeeming us through His unwavering obedience and death on the cross.
Another important ingredient of our faith is that through the waters of baptism we die with Jesus and rise with him into a new life filled with the Spirit (Romans 6:4). The old fallen life we inherited as children of Adam and Eve ends, and a new life with Jesus begins. We may ask, “If I have new life in Jesus and my old life is dead, why is sin still so active in me? Why do I still struggle with anger, guilt, lust, and envy, if this part of me died at baptism?” The answer is that our old fallen life still desires to exercise control over our new life in Christ. This new life doesn’t work automatically like a magic wand. It becomes real in our experience as we exercise faith in Jesus and live out the new life we have received.
Where does this faith come from? In trying to understand what it means to be a man of faith, it is important to first understand that faith is a gift from God. It enables us to accept His revelation to us and to His Church. It also allows us to put our trust in this revelation and base our whole life upon it. Through faith, we grasp the truth of Who Jesus is and His saving work on the cross. We then entrust ourselves to Him completely. To be sure, faith has an intellectual dimension: we assent to the truths which God has revealed, and we believe in what God has done for us. But God wants us to respond to him with our whole being, and so faith involves our hearts as well as our minds. Believing in God means entrusting our lives to Him, and this is something we can do only through the gift of faith. Only this gift can enable us to trust in Jesus in all circumstances.
Only faith can create in us the capacity to persevere, to resist discouragement, even to take risks for Jesus and His kingdom. This kind of faith in Jesus is the foundation of our lives. Through faith, a deep interior knowledge of Jesus comes to us and we open the core of our being to the Holy Spirit. Then, as this faith in Jesus takes hold of our hearts, we begin to participate in the very life of God.
How do we live a life of faith? God doesn’t want us to trudge along on our own power. He loves us too much to watch us languishing, resigned to our fate as we try to solve our problems on our own. That’s why He sent His Son to us in the first place: to raise us up to a new life. Because of this new life in Christ that dwells in us, each one of us can exercise bold faith. Sometimes this faith emerges out of a crisis, like the death of a loved one, which brings into focus what we truly believe. But it can also grow in ordinary times and opportunities.
Each day we need to consecrate our lives to God, and remind ourselves that His hand is upon our lives. We need to continually remind ourselves of who we are in Christ and His promises to us. For example, we are a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and His plan for our life is “to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Then, in our everyday tasks we can try to find little ways of stepping out in faith and obedience. Even the smallest of these are precious to the Lord. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for those who exercise their faith.
Brothers, let us not be resigned to the status quo, assuming that we are destined forever to struggle with sin or to groan at painful memories. Let us not allow the pressures of daily life to wear us down or rob us of our faith and trust in Him, and His presence in our lives. Let us believe that Jesus wants to transform every area of our lives! Let us believe that as we surrender more of ourselves to Him in faith — that what He has begun in us He will bring to completion (Philippians 1:6). Open yourself to experimenting with God’s grace. Give him chances to reveal His goodness. Don’t lower your expectations of what God can do. Allow Him to make you a pillar of faith.
Jesus has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you. Never! The more we trust on this truth, the more we will recall and stake our lives on Jesus and His love for us every day. Even if you mess up terribly, He will stick with you. His mercy will cover you, and His strength will empower you. Whatever stage of life you are in right now, whatever your circumstances; He is calling you to a deeper faith — a deeper abandonment to him. Put your trust in Jesus’ power to transform you and to make you into a powerful man of faith. He not only wants to do it; He has the power to do it as well.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for promising to be with me to the end of time. In faith, I surrender myself to You and Your will. I believe in You and in all your promises. Thank You for laying down your life for me. I will live for You today and every day. Give me the grace to walk in the light and to know and experience many bright, shining moments of faith each day. Help me to be faithful to You, as You are faithful to me.
Reflection/Discussion Questions on Page 2
(This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel and originally appeared as part of the Catholic Men’s E-zine, Being a Man of Faith, (Jan-Feb 2003 issue) which is available on the NFCM website.. You may e-mail them at info@nrccm.org. Many thanks to The Word Among Us for allowing us to include some material from various daily meditations.)
