A vision of truth calls us to action

April 15, 2007 -- Second Sunday of Easter

By Bishop Robert Morneau

	Bishop Robert Morneau
	Questions for reflection: 1. Why is doubt so prevalent today? 2. Who are the people who have been witnesses to you of Christian faith? 3. What is the connection between faith and loving/living?

The Easter season is a season of faith, believing in Jesus as God's Truth. Peter's faith in Christ gave him the power to heal others; John's faith led him to proclaim God's word and to witness to the risen Lord; Thomas, struggling with doubts, eventually came to experience the peace and joy of new life in Christ. On this Second Sunday of Easter, let us ponder this gift of faith.

"It is when truth is loved and lived that it awakens faith." (Romano Guardini) There is an intimate connection between loving, living, and believing. The teacher who is passionately in love with truth and the saint who courageously lives Gospel values are instruments through which God awakens the gift of faith planted in our hearts of those who have been baptized. The truth we are asked to believe in is that God's love and mercy are made manifest in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our faith is grounded in the mystery of the Trinity and the Incarnation. When we love God and confess that Jesus is Lord, we are living a life of faith.

There is a problem here, a problem not unlike that which Thomas faced. It is not so much the problem of doubt as it is a problem of skepticism. In a culture of pluralism and relativism, there is a claim that the truth cannot be known. Since faith is grounded in truth, it is difficult for that virtue to be embraced by our post-modern culture. One of the reasons why books on saints are so popular today is that, despite the contemporary culture, saints are people who love and live the truth - they are people of faith.

Besides the centrality of truth in one's faith life, there are two other elements of supreme importance: trust and confidence. Faith means that we trust in God's promises and have confidence in God's saving deeds. Jesus trusted in His Father's plan even though it entailed great suffering, even death. Jesus had confidence that the Father would never abandon Him. Eventually Peter and John too would demonstrate that trust and confidence, and thereby further God's reign in the hearts of so many.

It was the poet Emily Dickinson who wrote: "The abdication of Belief / Makes the Behavior small." To paraphrase: to give up one's faith will mean that our moral lives will be greatly diminished. Authentic faith calls us to action, to serve others and extend to them the mercy God has given to us.

Fr. Jean-Pierre De Caussade, in his Abandonment to Divine Providence, writes: "Faith unlocks God's treasury. It is the key to all the vastness of His wisdom. The hollowness of all created things is disclosed by faith, and it is by faith that God makes His presence plain everywhere. Faith tears aside the veil so that we can see the everlasting truth."

When Jesus appeared to the disciples and gave them His peace, the veil was drawn back and they saw for the first time the treasures of God, divine love and divine mercy. Now, given a vision of the truth, they were sent forth to put it into action. Their faith led them to be agents of God's love and life.

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Green Bay Diocese and pastor of Resurrection Parish in Allouez.)