Faith and Forgetting Jesus....

Let’s start with what will likely be the most humorous part of this post… I forgot Jesus. Not really forgot…just kind of forgot.

I work at a small, private, Catholic University. Recently we played host to some of our incoming students and their parents for orientation. Throughout their orientation, I serve as MC for the parents and spend 90% of my day with them. At the end of the day we take them to a place called Trinity Heights. Trinity Heights is a gorgeous area that is peaceful and spiritual and has many statues depicting religious figures. There are two large statues, around 25 feet I’m guessing, of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. I’ve only been there a few times but enjoy the calmness it can bring to the end of the day. It also is home to an absolutely amazing hand-carved life-sized wooden depiction of the Last Supper.

Anyway, because many of our parents are from out of town, they don’t know what Trinity Heights is. As I am making some announcements earlier in the day, I explain what Trinity Heights is. I talk about how calm it is, it will be a great end of our day, etc. etc. On this particular day, it is safe to say my mind is just not into orientation. As I am explaining Trinity Heights, I say, “And there are two amazing statues of the Virgin Mary and…………(uncomfortable silence)”

I completely blank, I cannot remember who the second statue is. As I am standing there with a blank stare one of the parents pipes up and says “Jesus?” and I say, with my sassy finger snap/point action, “That’d be the one!”

“That’d be the one”, Tiffany? Really? Did you seriously just forget Jesus in front of a crowd that is at least half Catholic if not entirely Christian?

Seriously? I so wish I could be kidding about this one.

This brings me to the topic of faith. Are there times when it would be easier and quite frankly a lot more fun to “forget Jesus”?

Absolutely!

Faith is something that is important to me. I will certainly admit that there have been times in my life when my faith has been stronger and more important to me than others. I have most definitely, at times, made choices of which I am not necessarily proud that directly contradicted beliefs I held at the time.

With that said, I would say that right now is a time in my life when I am not only strong in my faith but comfortable in it. I have friends and family along the entire spiritual and religious spectrum. And, most of the time, we are mutually respectful of divergent views. However, I have stopped feeling the need to defend my faith to other people. Why? Because it’s my faith, not yours.

There have been times when I have been asked to “prove” my faith and beliefs. And, there was a time in my life where I worked really hard to do just that. But I now have a different response, prove to me otherwise….i.e. prove to me that God doesn’t exist. While at first this may seem relatively simply to some, it is remarkably difficult when you get down to the nitty gritty of it.

Furthermore, I don’t think I have to “prove” my faith….that’s why it’s called faith! Webster’s online offers a variety of definitions for faith, including firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

HA!

Let me make it very clear though- I do believe there is proof that something beyond me, in what I faithfully believe to be the form of God, does exist. While I certainly believe that science had and obviously continues to have its place in us being here, convincing me that nothing else was involved in that process is, quite frankly, impossible.

When I think about what it would be like to not have my faith, it’s quite depressing.

My faith brings me a sense of peace and calm that nothing else ever has or will.

Do I believe in causing war because of divergent faiths?

Absolutely not!

Do I believe in respectful discourse about divergent views?

Absolutely!

Do I believe that my faith must be the faith of all?

Absolutely not!

Do I think there are some “faiths” out there that are, quite frankly, a crock?

Absolutely!

Do I respect those followers’ rights to have those views?

Absolutely!

Do I want someone else telling me what to believe?

Absolutely not!

Is faith difficult at times?

Absolutely! (And furthermore, if you are not struggling with your faith then you’re not it doing right)

Do I think faith should be used as a political agenda?

Absolutely not!

And on that note, I am going to end this post because it is getting ridiculously long! BUT, I will be writing a post about my political views and how those are impacted, or not, by my faith.

And, whether you agree with this post or not doesn’t really matter because this is my blog, not yours.