Awakening Faith
By Julian Cárron - Faith, if not rooted in judgment, veers toward spiritualism or sentimentalism. It becomes a belief lacking solid reasoning, essentially non-human, as demonstrated by its immediate collapse, failure to inspire action or impact and the overriding influence of one’s original position, be it religious, familial, cultural tradition or tribal affiliation.
Ultimately, it offers no room for transformation. The exceptionality of faith shouldn’t leave us unchanged; instead, it should rekindle all our needs and facilitate recognition. Hence, judgment forms the cornerstone of experience, questioning whether an exceptional event can awaken the self to its full capacity for judgment. Thus, it becomes clear that mere witnessing is insufficient. The self can’t reach an understanding without it, yet they aren’t in opposition. The true test is whether the witness can stir the self (embodying the authentic Catholic conception of faith), whether Christ's presence can reawaken the self and mobilize its entire human capacity to foster a new creation, or if Christ’s affirmation within us fails to transform it. This highlights a common flaw in a certain Protestant mentality. All is in vain without a Catholic faith that aligns with the event's inherent nature.
Only upon completing this journey does one find the event's human relevance and its resonance with one’s humanity. However, we can still face significant events without progress, ultimately rendering them futile if they don’t facilitate self-growth.
The essence of faith, this deeply human experience engaging the entire self, is memory. I conclude with our collective focus on a pivotal moment from the School of Community: John and Andrew's faith stemmed from their certainty in an experienceable Presence. That evening in Saint John’s first chapter, as they sat in His house, witnessing His speech, they were assured of something extraordinary, a divine presence made tangible. Then, they returned to their homes, to Andrea's wife and Giovanni's mother.
They continued their daily lives, eating, sleeping and fishing with companions, yet the previous afternoon's encounter lingered in their minds. Their subsequent actions were influenced by this memory, not by a direct visual confirmation but by the experience of a presence felt beyond physical contact. This insistence on a tactile experience often proves fruitless, failing to establish a real connection, as seen in relationships between young couples.
The time from that evening to the next day, filled with discussions and memories, bridges the gap through memory. Memory maintains the continuity of experiencing a present entity, a presence beyond the immediacy of physical interaction, like pulling someone’s nose or hair in a childish gesture. That immediacy doesn’t determine the depth and security of the relationship. After three weeks without seeing Him, their dominant desire was to find Him again, driven by the clear understanding that it was Him. They might not have known who He was but knew it was Him. Memory, then, is the awareness of a Presence.
Unrevised translation by the author - La Thuile - August, 2009
