When Christ leaves us incredulous

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE should not be surprised by this phenomenon. In the gospel, there are many instances when Christ would leave even those close to him questioning and skeptical about his teachings and ways.

When he went to his hometown, for example, and entered the synagogue and started to preach, those who heard him could not believe that someone of their own could preach the way he preached. “Where did this man get these things? What’s this wisdom that has been given him?” they asked in disbelief. (Mk 6,2)

Even among the apostles who had spent a lot of time and were already familiar with Christ’s will and ways were left shocked when Christ told them, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” To which they could only respond, “Who then can be saved?” (Mt 19,24-25)

Christ’s will and ways and the whole range of our Christian faith definitely would go beyond our normal process of understanding things. The simple reason is that God’s will and ways are supernatural that would go beyond but not against our natural power of understanding.

In the face of all this, all we have to do is to humble ourselves knowing that even in the natural level of things, we already would have difficulty understanding everything. How much more when we consider the mysteries and the supernatural truths of our Christian faith.

Just the same, even if we cannot fully understand everything of our faith, there should be no stopping in our effort to understand it. But as St. Augustine once said, we should first believe so we may understand. “Credo ut intelligam” (I believe so that I may understand). And St. Anselm coined this expression that says the same thing—“Fides quaeres intellectum” (Faith seeking understanding).

I suppose the thing to do is study well the Bible, exploring the context, genre, and message of each book. Then we should try to do some theological reflection which can be aided when we engage with theologians and scholars to deepen our understanding of the Christian doctrine. Of course, we need to pray and do some contemplation by seeking a personal experience of God’s presence and guidance.

Though our Christian faith is supernatural that contains truths that are beyond our human understanding, we can still bank on some strong motives of its credibility. To mention a few, we can cite the glorious resurrection of Christ which can only show us a definitive sign of his divinity.

Then we have the miracles performed by Christ and the saints. There is also the fulfillment of the prophecies made about Christ and by Christ himself. There is also the sublimity of the Christian doctrine which can give proof that it is of a divine origin. There is also the sanctity and spread of the Church, her fruitfulness and stability that despite, temporary problems, would tell us that the faith, despite its mysteries, is worth believing.

Obviously, what is needed here first of all is the grace of God which is always poured on us abundantly. Things would just depend on how receptive and responsive we are to that grace. That grace would help us to humble ourselves so we can open ourselves to the light God gives for us to believe and start understanding the content of our faith.

So, when Christ would leave us incredulous, we should deepen our humility for the grace to penetrate more deeply into our consciousness, enabling us to act accordingly.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com