What shakes your faith?
I know, for myself, it’s anything that makes me feel afraid. And let me tell you, the list is long. I can be afraid of just about anything starting with what I should wear to a party, to the end of the world, and everything in between. Not surprisingly, my greatest fear is of dying. I’m so afraid of how and when my physical life will end that I lose sight of God’s love for me along with Jesus’ promise of eternal salvation.
[Jesus’ reflections toward the end of Luke’s Gospel] conjure the type of end-of-the-world stuff I fear most. Let’s be clear: Not only would the end of the world likely mean the end of my life, but also those of everyone I know and love, as well as civilization and possibly even nature.
That is a lot of scary endings for someone who’s afraid of not having the right shoes for a gala. But knowing the Bible was not written with the intention to frighten me, I can’t help but search for an alternative interpretation.
[In Luke’s Gospel], Jesus warns his disciples that “the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Jesus is talking about the Jewish Temple. The Temple stood at the heart of Jewish life. Not only was it a place of worship, but also a repository for the Holy Scriptures and other national literature and the meeting place of the Sanhedrin, the highest court of Jewish law.
So, for the disciples to hear about its destruction, would have been quite concerning if not down-right frightening. But if, somehow, they were able to take that in without flinching, Jesus’ response to what might precede such destruction surely would make them flinch: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
Yikes! I can’t help but think that Jesus’ words could have been written for our times.
But let’s listen again to what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel: “Do not be terrified.” He will later claim that though his followers will be seized, persecuted, and hated by their enemies not a hair on their heads will be harmed. Considering the reality that ten out of the twelve disciples were martyred, what does Jesus mean? He is speaking of eternal life. Though his disciples will pass away, some miserably, those who continue to believe in Him will be saved.
At the beginning of this reflection, I asked the question “What shakes your faith?” Of course, I was referring to those things that threaten our faith. But perhaps we should consider an alternate definition: What shakes our faith in terms of sparking it?
I know, for me, the thing that gets my faith going is seeing other people act in Christ-like ways. I feel the most faith-filled when I see people like my friend Patrick Misiati who has withstood economic insecurity, political strife, environmental disaster, and illness to operate a school for disabled orphans in Kenya. Or my friend Barb DeBarros who never fails to greet me with a giant smile despite struggling with a terminal illness. Or our own Paula Nelsen who donated a kidney to save the life of a non-family member.
True faith is self-reinforcing. When we believe in Jesus, we act in Christ-like ways. And when we act in Christ-like ways, we help bolster others’ faith.
So, I ask you: What shakes your faith? Because whatever it is, is sure to make it stronger.
--Molly Hartle,
OLMC, November 26, 2024
Image source: John Martin, The Seventh Plague (1823), https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/05/21/are-these-the-end-times-yes-and-no/
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