As previously noted, I'm enrolled in Notre Dame's STEP program and currently taking the Core Course: Introduction to the Catholic Faith:
In the documents of Vatican II, the baptized are called to holiness and to greater understanding of their unique role in building the Kingdom of God. An informational and enriching introduction to the Catholic faith and theology, this course will enable you to take greater responsibility in promoting the life and mission of the Church. Using the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults as a primary text, this course will explore six core areas and will serve as a good foundation for those who seek to continue theological studies or develop theological competency for ministry. Theology is a fascinating and vital subject that challenges those who study it to think critically and personally about human existence, the world we live in and our relationship with God and one another. It is recommended (but not required) as a first course for those new to theological study.
Week 1's topic is faith development. The weekly assignment was to write 150-200 words on the question "How is faith both a gift and a human act?" As regular readers might expect, my weekly comment ran a bit long. Don't expect anything terribly profound. It's just my musing on the assigned topic:
In creating man and woman, God endowed us all with a yearning for the infinite. As the quotation from St Augustine reminds us, “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Yet, on our own, we grope toward knowledge of God feebly and imperfectly. And so another step in the process by which God gives us faith is Revelation of himself.
God reveals himself to all through creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands. Day unto day pours forth speech; night unto night whispers knowledge.” (Ps 19:2-3).
God most fully reveals himself in scripture. God inspired the prophets, apostles, and others who wrote the bible to provide a true account of God’s revealed nature. God granted insight to the Church Fathers who determined the canon of Holy Scripture, separating the wheat from the chaff, and thus giving us a rich foundation of revealed truth upon which to construct out faith. And, of course, the Church has built the Magisterium upon that foundation as God continues to reveal himself to the saints and scholars of the Church who grapple with how the eternal truths of scripture apply to an ever-changing world.
Yet, faith must also be a human act. If God granted justification to an elect few—if he predestined some for salvation and some for damnation—there would be no free will.
God invites us to join his company. Some (we may hope many or even most) will accept the gift he offers. In doing so, they complete the act of faith. There has been a proffered gift and a freely given acceptance thereof.
We may think of this as faith rather than knowledge, for faith is defined as “is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). Unlike St. Thomas, who believed only after seeing the nail marks on Jesus and the hole in his side, we who have faith are blessed because we “have not seen and have believed” anyway. (John 20:29)
