We are in the midst of two great feasts, having just contemplated the mystery of the Trinity last Sunday and are about to delve into Corpus Christi next weekend. Faith and theology as the science of faith and wisdom are important in that they offer us a foretaste of eternal glory (St. Augustine). As we ponder the mysterious mysteries, let our minds be filled with the simplicity of the Lord’s Prayer and realize that it is He who makes the first move and all we need to do is respond.
Do Not Babble
Jesus warns that the quantity of words does not matter a whit to our Triune God, it is the quality of our words. I believe we have all been guilty of talking to ourselves rather than God when we pray, like the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. I have trouble turning off the chatter and tuning into God. Jesus reminds us that God knows what we need before we even ask. Equally we might have experienced times when we are praying well, with devotion and attention. We can always get better at praying, and we should strive for the better part.
Saint Paul warns us of the devil seeking to corrupt our minds.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ. 2 Cor 11:3
We must always be on our guard because sin entered the world through the devil, who is a roaring lion seeking to devour us, as Jesus warns St. Peter. And us.
Ok, so do not babble. And beware that our sincere faith could undergo corruption. Got it? Uh no, not really. Where does that leave us?
Three Levels of Faith
In a recent homily, I learned about the three levels of faith that began with the early Latin Fathers. Credere Deum. Credere Deo. Credere in Deum.
Credere Deum means To Believe That God is. Simply that there is a God. Even the devils believe this. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. James 2:19
Credere Deo means To Believe in God. Words matter. To believe in God means believing everything He reveals: that He is Our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and King. That He is Our Good Shepherd.
Finally, Credere in Deum is difficult to translate from Latin, it literally means To Believe into God. The best example of this is Carvaggio’s painting of St. Thomas inserting his hand into the gaping wound in Christ’s heart. With this kind of faith, we radically place all our faith, hope, trust and our entire being in God. It is the highest form of faith. It helps us persevere through the ebbs and flows of the human condition. It transcends merely believing in God’s existence or in His instructions.
Our Father
My Dad loved the Platters and one of their hits is a song titled “My Prayer.” It has a line; my prayer is to linger with you. That line captures the essence of what we Christians should strive for. May we linger with our God in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus could well call My Prayer.
