Brief Notes on Spirituality: 1

Faith is a gift to be received.

Not only is it a gift, but a necessary gift in the life of the spirit (spirituality). To refuse the gift of faith means to deny our innate need and desire for connection to the other - both the human other and the divine other. Doubt does not kill faith, rather, doubt is part of the daily struggle in understanding the honor bestowed on us in receiving the gift of faith. So don’t be anxious over the doubt that often exists in our spirit, but follow it's voice plumbing the depths of our faith understanding.

The opposite of faith is independence, not doubt. Independence is more deadly, for it is a refusal to genuinely acknowledge and receive the gift of faith and of the one who gives it. The world is full of people who take gifts, but few who receive them. If we are honest, we realize that we often take what we crave rather than receive what we need and desire most deeply. This happens when we listen to the voice of independence rather than receiving the gift of faith.

Let us pray for the humility and honesty to receive faith as the antidote to our independence from our fellow humanity and our God.