Honest Talk on the Benefits of Faith
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| Gerald Waris |
Gerald’s mother was second-generation Irish. His father was born in Lebanon and the gathering of cousins were from his side of the family. They grew up on kibbe, unleavened bread and stuffed grape leaves, and there was plenty of talk about food.
But what struck me, listening to a CD of their comments, was
their unanimous view on the importance of faith in their family. Gerald’s
father, two brothers and a sister were partners in the wholesale fruit and
vegetable business in the former market area of St. Joseph, Mo., and even there
– amid haggles over the price of sweet corn and apples – were hung pictures of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, reminding them of the relevance of their faith.
One cousin talked about the woman who raised him and his
five siblings as a single mother. He marveled at her work ethic, but most of
all, that she never gave up on God’s ultimate oversight of the family. The
lessons she provided, he said, were not lost on her children who now have
families of their own.
“Religion is a great gift,” he said.
Fear
In this age when faith seems under attack, this kind of
comment is rare. Even when people feel grateful for a religious upbringing,
they’re reluctant to say it for fear people will think they’re out-of-touch or weird.
This may especially be true for Catholics, who are reeling
from the latest revelation of the clerical abuse of children and its cover-up. They
may be tempted to think that it proves the uselessness or evil of organized
religion, but they would be missing the point. Although faith requires love of
neighbor, it doesn’t depend on the virtue of others, including the clergy.
The older I get, the more I’m convinced of the benefits of
faith. Among the best things you can say about it, I think, is that it makes
you happy.
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Kibbe
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“What?” you may protest. “With all its demands and
counter-cultural norms, it makes you happy?” So how, exactly, does it do that?
For one thing, it gives your life meaning. It definitively
answers, in the negative, the question, “Is this all there is?” Believing in
God means you’re never alone, no matter how isolated or burdened with sadness
or anxiety. And it means knowing that evil, ignorance and isolation won’t have
the last word.
It also means belonging to a caring community of people with
whom you share your deepest convictions. Ok, so not every faith community is
loving. You may have to search for one, but there are many out there and
finding one is worth the effort.
Another fulfilling benefit of faith is finding a community
where the liturgy is actually celebrated, where you leave joyfully, and not
because the Mass or service has ended. These communities also exist, as my wife
and I experienced this past weekend. And they remind you why you go to church.
But you have to get past the stereotypes. You have to know
people who actually live their faith, and experience it yourself. You have to
part with the idea that religious people are more hypocritical, more biased,
less tolerant and more set in their ways.
What's In the Heart
And you can’t imagine that it’s simply a matter of
fulfilling rituals and adhering to doctrine. It may include those, but to God,
it’s what’s in the heart that matters.
If you’re like me, you may have an intellectual problem with
faith. You may struggle with the kinds of questions typically asked by atheists
and agnostics. But while those questions may make you feel intellectually
honest, do they honestly represent who you are or who you want to be?
So thanks to the Waris cousins, and all such families, for
reminding us who are searching for God of the benefits of faith. Given life’s
distractions and temptations, we need it.
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