III. PARADOXICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FAITH 141.

Christian Faith presents us with a number of paradoxes that help us grasp its complex reality. A . C e r t a i n , Y e t O b s c u r e 142. The first is that Faith is both most certain yet obscure (cf. CCC 157-58, 164). In commonusage we speak of taking things on faith when we are not sure. We live in a secular age where tobe sure means being able to prove it by experiment and scientific means. But this is a rationalisticillusion. We have been brainwashed by our own creation of todays scientific technology. 1 4 3 . Aiio eleaoeu arenenousentdws reedom, love, etc. slns rittnfr jp acsrra ad e al, F , ah om r l i , o idl a s ri pwzn o os dsn b s i t d o o ca uo f e could ever be proven by scientific experiment. Our family, our friends, ourcommunity, our vocation in life __ all depend on the vision, inspiration and strength we call faith. Itis the most certain of all we know because it is the foundation upon which we build our lives. Buthow are we sure of this faithfoundation? 1 4 . Srncnmos o im oeleromsomeself-evidenttruth,orsomelogicaldeductionthatcompelsassent ufdue e um t e mdi cune f rr tee n nn h alv r sf hd o .ue a tor o e r r I v uo c lo i s i do m, l w t r e o v m ca os f (CCC 156). Alltheseneedtobe serudosmnaafudnnerWooopslocfudnaiebaeo owre i sterneshreoiH pirit.WearecertainofourFaithbecauseitisour ems nen eskb nt. ltv of duoyrh na. istieusn dhea mheou retu i hv t lg , e,o do uhelo aOy e rGcl i fua tFcncst G o l e p fsCts s s e i hy d d be o i t r i o s o ha t r vs l s J i nn S Hf o s n , i p personally committed loving knowledge based on the convincing signs of God revealing Himself in Jesus Christ, and present to us in His Church throughword, service, fellowship, and sacrament. 145. But this certainty of Faith does not mean everything is clear and obvious. On the contrary, webelieve God is Mystery, that is, He is always more than we can ever fully comprehend. St. Paul teaches us: Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror (1 Cor 13:12). ewl b fihn tb sg t W ak yat , o yi h (2C) o 5 r 7 : .

Butthisobscuritywhichweexperienceeveninourdeepesthumanrelationsdoesnotdestroyfaithsfirmness. We instinctively recognize that persons, and especially the all-personal God, can never bereduced to being proven by scientific experiment. B.Free, Yet Morally Obliging 146. Faiths second paradox is that it is both free and morally obliging (cf. CCC 160). Our ChristianFaith is a free response. No one, not even God, forces us to believe. G dclsmnt sr eHmi S iia di tuhC ne u nl t e aeb u dt Hmi c nce c b tn tc ec dGdargrfreinoeu aprowih ei slradeu aproitbgiebho ndmtney o a e oev i n prt n nr t . o sq e tyhy r o n o i n o sine u o ore . ohs a o d i f hmne n h Hh eet : hmne noeu dyi wjg eadn e d t gt t h yh s c mf et c h s s d s u nt j oo e ro fdm D1) ( H1 . We Filipinos experience this paradoxical combination of freedom and obligation in our familyrelationships and friendships. Persons who love us the most have the most claim on us, yet force usthe least. We naturally respond to them in love. God, who by loving us the most has the greatest claimon us, leaves and keeps us most free. C.Reasonable, Yet Beyond Natural Reason 147. A third paradox is that Christian Faith is both reasonable, yet morethan nl a u t a r rs eo an c C-) (C16 C 5. . f 5 Cao iu nnltnaveratoidnboioe hisc trnte,nan. ttclem lovwn a i s aitc he U t t l a oaeiYh u uy s shf e c rrsleisttin . yi, ud iFo oOryce aehr s sle nr rtnnh. htolrb fgns n eeultd n c o yoe eg w u i t a s f l a n Asu9 (uetf: go) ue. n7 iss tI q OC ienseewi stehoo eieraaoot uhnae bi h hf r fw neld,esh a s oa im l m w f a ikhtll f imrb lh ca io d oo h knhef r r ssc e oI ltel l r swreseo hu ow t l ee m h N l ; lhe i t uu v a g . mvnsaii n e np g J2tn 1 (:;aD) nciI 3 8c 5 1a . V .N f, D . A n A c t , Y e t a P r o c e s s 148. A fourth paradox highlights Faith as both a particular act, yet perseverance in a life-long process that is the beginning of eternal life (cf. CCC 162-63).

Johns Gospel declares: Eternal life isthis: to know you, the only true God, and him whom you have sent, Jesus Christ. (Jn 17:3). But thisfaith in Christ is much more than a single, personal decision for Christ. It is an enduring way of life within the Christian community, the Church. In fact it is the principle oue liCrt hhieul ii ih.tarholioynhimmu al,uoiteooo hlvmngei sr e f r wn h, i g sfotmv.uoewt o; rge ymibafnSnf d oe edvmm on i iwc v ai hne l t la is winle h n tlah G, od a ah e f s e sf - eP eit v C i o h a wf e s v f ii i e S h m l I es t re n : tI n t . a ts w Tn v s nt l i e fh w o f l G0 (a) 2 l:. Fflwgh uedanpvgelpsamtueraefusuu h aoiCrmtguadeeldeeoto eocvsc regtuo h t ts s ba y si o h t y oit ow. i n i s r l r ryv dti s heptol,rhr ls o en c o voo e h i v E . A G i f t , Y e t O u r D o i n g 149. Faiths fifth paradox is that it is both a gift, a grace from God, yet something we do (cf. PCP II 68; CCC 153-55). It is a gift because No one can come to me, Jesus said, unless the Father whosent me draws him (Jn 6:44). St. Paul confirms this: No one can say Jesus is Lord, except in theHoly Spirit (1 Cor 12:3). Our Christian Faith, then, is not merely of our own doing. It depends uponGod for two things: first, Gods free gift of revealing Himself throughout salvation history; second,for the grace of the Holy Spirits interior illumination and inspiration which gives to all joy inassenting to the truth and believing in it (Vat. I, DS 3010; ND 120). 150. But Gods gift of faith demands our free cooperation wtetalxisiF,eo eruhrgdheieofh h s ah thc t i i d Cs thPeln: it , s haawt rs d i ior. uptsa nmoge ,n aatwro r S . h h n s h t h Rm0) (o17 1 :. O rh ai goC rsw r t dy u ern f hits odo a depends on the preaching and teaching just as it did in the time of the Apostles (cf. Mt 28:20; Acts2:42; 4:25). This hearing means not only listening to the Word of God in Scripture and to Churcht e a c h i n g . I t a l s o i n v o l v e s discerning G o d s p r e s e n c e t o u s t h r o u g h e v e n t s i n o u r l i v e s , o u r companions, our inner thoughts, yearnings and fears, etc. In brief,

faith is also our active response tothe witness to Christ and the Gospel given us by others. This active response is motivated and inspiredby the prayer and worship we share with our fellow members of Christs Church. F . P e r s o n a l , Y e t E c c l e s i a l 151. Faiths sixth paradox is its personal yet ecclesial n a t u r e . I t i s f i r s t o f a l l t h e C h u r c h w h o believes and thus supports and nourishes our faith (cf. CCC 168-69). We received the grace of faithwhen we were baptized and received into the Christian community, the Church. Within our Christianfamilies and our parish community, the faith implanted in Baptism grows and matures. Throughcatechesis, through the Sacrament of Confirmation, through the Word of God preached and explained,and especially through the Eucharistic celebration of Christs Paschal sacrifice, we grow in faith.Our personal faith in Christ is supported and intensified by our fellow members in the parish orBCC, according to Gods own plan. For He has willed to make men holy and save them, not asindividuals without any bond or link between them, but rather to make them into a people (LG 9). 152. Christian faith has many different adherents and forms, even in our country. But a centralfeature of Catholic Faith is its ecclesial structure . God always revealed Himself in the Old and NewTestaments in terms of a community. Moreover, this revelation has been handed down through theChurchs tradition to us today. It is in the Church that we Catholics experience the power of the RisenChrist through the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is in the Church, the body of Christ, that the Catholic Filipino meets Christ in Gods Word in Scripture, in Church teaching, in the liturgical, sacramentalpraise and worship of God, and in the ministry of service of one another. 153. Christ is personal Savior to Filipino Catholics not as private individuals, but as members of a community of salvation wherein we meet Jesus and experience his saving power. Faith is never just something private or individualistic, but a sharing in the Christian communitys faith. This faith is inliving continuity with the Apostolic Church, as well as being united to all the Catholic communitiestoday the world over. Vatican II well describes the origins of this ecclesial dimension of faith: 154. As the firstborn of many brethren, and by the gift of his Spirit, Christ established, aft er hisDeath and Resurrection, a new brotherly communion among all who received him in faith and love;this is the communion of his own body, the Church, in which everyone as members would rendermutual service in the measure of the different gifts bestowed on each

(GS 32).