It is very helpful to look back at our own experiences of encountering Christ. It is often called “religious
experience”. A religious experience can be seen in some instances.
For example we are surprised and
feel wonder about the fact that we exist. We live. We say, “It is I who is
here, not anybody else.” Other people exist, and there are people we truly
love. We are glad about their existing and living; we are grateful. But then we
also have the anxiety over not-existing. For example some relationships end.
Friends go. People die. We will die. Jesus is encountered and we feel that he
has given us the chance for something more stable, more permanent—and this is
eternal life.
Sometimes we are amazed at how we
do things and we are able to accomplish certain things. We are in-charge of
many things we do. Yet we also feel that we can lose control. We cannot control
all the events that happen around us. Events can happen and we are not sure of
what they can do to us; maybe they will lead us to living in ways we do not
like. Jesus comes and we feel that even if we are not in full control of life’s
flow we can have unconditional security in him. He is not going to leave us
hanging.
And then we have the experience of
coming face to face with our own freedom. We realize that we are responsible
for many things we do. Some things we do are “bad”—we harm others, we hurt
others. We feel lonely with our freedom. Jesus comes and we feel he can
understand us. He is patient and guiding. We are comfortable in him—we can be
accountable to him and we feel he will be at our side even when we commit
faults.
Religious experience can be this—the
experience that there is Someone who guarantees life in an absolute way, someone who secures us in an absolute way, someone who accompanies us in an absolute way. Did we ever see this in Jesus? How real is
Christ to us?
There are moments in life when we
say that we encounter Christ. Maybe we can look at our prayer life, community
life. Maybe we see Christ in social situations, in the poor and the struggling.
Maybe in our own personal difficulties we suddenly encounter Christ. We can
look back at our younger years; there may have been moments of encounter.
The encounter with Christ is very
often said to be marked by a call. Well, at least we can be thankful for the
encounter because we experience being motivated. We say a deeper yes to our
lives as Christians, we say a deeper yes to our faith. We have a feeling of
meaningful decision making. There is Christ supporting us, accompanying us. For
those of us who have accepted a clear call—such as the call to religious life—the
encounter with Christ deepens the motivation.
We may have been born in Christian
families and since childhood we were exposed to things Catholic. The faith has
been transmitted to us by our families, teachers, catechists, priests, etc. The
encounter with Christ makes us become more personal with our faith. The faith
is not just an external thing; we interiorize the faith thanks to encountering
Christ. Faith has a face.
The Apostles and the early
Christians experienced the encounter with Jesus and they were impressed. Jesus
had a very strong impact on them. Over centuries Christians have had
experiences of encountering Christ. We can think of saints and martyrs. We can
also think of the many ordinary and unknown Christians who, in their own simple
ways, had an experience of encountering Christ. Historians note that the very
early Christians moving to the East from Palestine were not doing any
professional mission work, but because of the depths of their intimacy with
Christ they were able to bring so many to the Christian faith. In the gospel
account of John we read, “We saw his glory” (Jn1/14). The Apostles and the
early Christians experienced Christ in a glorious way. They have, indeed, seen
his glory.
That impact made people move and
let Christ known. Christ lived in them; in their hearts. The experience of
encountering Christ served as a “motor” for moving on in life—finding sense and
vocation for living. Christ is who drives us all the more, living as well as we
can, our faith. This is so crucial, we may not notice it.
The Church is, in fact, a community
that started with a deep experience of Christ. Today we may be complex in our
lives that even Church life becomes flat and routine. But let us remember that
underneath the whole motivation of the Church is an encounter with Christ.
Life can be so busy we are so
preoccupied by many matters. This is why we need to pause now and then; give ourselves
the time to look at ourselves, at our experiences. How is Christ present in our
lives? How real is he? Some saints have always proposed a review of life—an “examination
of conscience”—to check now and then our experiences with Christ. Prayer life
should never be abandoned.
This faith and confidence in Christ is so important because it
will also guide us to living the faith and confidence of Christ. Because Christ is so real for us we want to be in his
footsteps and have his faith too. So
let us say: have faith in Christ is
to also have the faith of Christ.
To grasp the faith of Christ let us
look at his work as mediator. Christ had full confidence in his Father and he
knew that as he continued with his mission his Father was not going to abandon
him. The confidence of Jesus made him obey unconditionally the Father. Jesus
had faith in his mission. He took it seriously even at the point of the cross.
He communicated to us what came from the Father; it was a message of love
symbolized by the Kingdom. Jesus had faith in us, humans, to the point of
Incarnation and thus leading us to the Father. He had faith in us he became one
with us—the Word became flesh. He was in solidarity with us so that in our
poverty and abjection we may be made “rich” in God. This was the faith of Jesus
and we internalize it.
Like Jesus we keep confidence in
the Father. Like Jesus we obey the Father. Like Jesus we go on mission,
fulfilling the mission of God. Like Jesus we bring ourselves close to the poor,
the marginalized, the little ones of the world. Our faith is the faith of
Jesus.
This is our “credentials”. If others
ask us what strengthens us in vocation and mission, we can say that it is the
faith of Jesus. We are not satisfied in having faith in Jesus. Because of the confidence and trust we hold on Jesus, we
want to follow his footsteps and live the faith of Jesus.
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