The authenticity of my faith

Photo by Mathias P.R. Reding on Unsplash

Pope Francis was once asked by a student “What can I do to convince my fellow students who are all atheists to believe in God?” Pope Francis answered him quite clearly. Do nothing. The last thing you need to do is to say something. Start to live your life, and they will ask you “Why do you live that way?”

Faith is often transmitted not by convincing arguments, but by an authentic life.

Why authentic?

We all recognise a lack of authenticity when we see it. A split between what we say and what we do. Sometimes it is the smile accompanied by the sharp comment under one’s breath.  It has always struck me how young people revolt against double standards or equivocation of any form. 

Lack of authenticity in short. Maybe because they have less experience of life? And less experience of corruption?

A paradox?

Isn’t faith itself meant to be authentic? Are we complicating things by adding the term authenticity to it, as if it were an added extra?

The Gospels overflow with examples of authentic faith. 

Take the case of the woman who had an aggressive haemorrhage for years which left her debilitated - none of the doctors could cure her.  This poor woman was desperate. We can understand her dilemma clearly enough. Maybe we too have been desperate and have no one to turn to, no solution to hand .. 

As the story evolves, this woman encounters Jesus. He is surrounded by a mob of people.  She thinks “If I can only touch his garment I will be healed”. You may be familiar with the conclusion of the story.  She pushes her way through the crowd and manages to touch his garment and immediately the haemorrhage ceases, and she feels in her body healing. 

She has tried everything and He is her last resort.  Not the most perfect of faith but human.  We can relate.  Jesus tells her that it is her belief in Him, her faith, that has cured her. Why don’t we have faith? Maybe because we don’t need in the same way as this woman did, at least not yet.  

The Gospels are populated with scenes where Jesus rewards the faith of simple humble people. He cures them of their disease, raises them from the dead, frees them of evil spirits…the list is endless. 

When we are in need we ask those closest to us for their help, their advice or simply a listening ear.  It is the person we trust and seek not so much the request in itself.  This woman in the Gospel trusted what she saw in Jesus, someone who lived for others surrounded as he was with people of all shapes and sizes and needs. 

Faith may begin in a space of desperation - we are out of our depth and we realise no one but God has the solution. But when we ask in all our vulnerability for help -  that is prayer. Prayer feeds faith and faith leads to prayer.

Henri Nouwen reminds us that … “In the solitude of prayer we slowly unmask the illusion of our dependencies and possessiveness, and discover in the center of our own self that we are not what we can control or conquer but what is given to us from above to channel to others. In solitary prayer we become aware that our identity does not depend on what we have accomplished or possess, that our productivity does not define us, and that our worth is not the same as our usefulness”.

Jesus is always moved by genuine authentic faith. He comes to meet it. Authentic faith attracts others and often inspires them. Authentic faith is real especially when it comes silently and unnoticed. How often we have experienced it without having called it as such, the candle an elderly relation lights before the statue of the Sacred Heart for an exam result.  It is real and tangible and child-like. 

There is nothing hypocritical about it  - the gesture says I need, I hope and I love. 

Inauthentic faith 

Is there such a thing as a faith that is not authentic? Again, in the Gospels, we have the anecdote about the rich young man. The man who was dissatisfied with his life and was looking for more. And Jesus’ advice is clear and straightforward. 

“Why not sell all you have and come and follow me?” But the young man was not prepared to do this as he had a lot of stuff. He couldn’t let go and we are told “He went away sorrowful.”

He had authentic faith in his possessions, but he lacked the faith to follow Jesus. And his possessions would not see him through a rainy day, a recession, a bereavement. But maybe he had yet to learn - he had not had those lived experiences of desperation or life's curveballs yet. He had not experienced his own need, his own vulnerability. 

Faith in our everyday life 

Some find this world hard and isolating and can feel battered and excluded. They long for light and warmth. The language of welcome and mercy is convincing. 

Pope Francis reminds us that, “each encounter with God fills us with joy, a joy that only God can give. The secret of joy is living to serve”.  

When we pray, we encounter God, we grow in faith. Then we can speak about the God we know and is real, authentic. When we share God’s love with others, we are sharing the authentic Christian message, something positive, relevant, and attractive.