Faith: a Realization or Substance of our lives?
“Faith is the (realization of/substance of) things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” --Hebrews 11: 2-3 On the 19th week of Ordinary Time my husband and I brought our daughter to church for the first time. As luck would have it, Fr. Tom was short of all kinds of help, and asked me to read--so I hobbled on up to the altar to have a look at the scripture for the day, only to find my favorite line in the Bible staring up at me, reminding me of the blessings Sarah and Abraham received. Much as we had, bringing our child into the world after some struggles with faith. I smiled to myself. Only God would nudge me in this way, our own private understanding. But I wonder and pause now to consider a discussion I had with a fellow congregant after Mass--the different translations: realization vs substance. I totally appreciate realization as the definition of faith. I am in the midst of a realization, about myself and the world, through the eyes of a child, vulnerable and new to ever...