Faith: if I dare to say! (Part-5)

(Time and again, I was asked to share about my faith experiences. Frankly speaking, it is not easy for me to share about faith experiences. I often hesitate to share, thinking my experiences might sound silly and stupid to others. But there are certain experiences, persons and moments that gave me ‘DEEP’ experiences along the way. While thinking about ‘the year of Faith’, I tried to articulate these experiences here. Perhaps these are too stupid, too silly, too childish…but they are priceless to me! They keep me going…)

Faith: In the face of human experience

This time, after a long time, I felt writing is difficult! I was clear about my thoughts as was convinced of what I wanted to say. But I did not know how to put them in right expressions or in logical order. It is something like writing a mail to someone whom you love most. Often our human languages fail to express our true love.

Keeping in mind ‘the Year of Faith’, in my previous four posts I have attempted to share four concrete examples, which somewhere along way made impact in my life. These were, in fact, outcome of my ‘inner search’, what I have been deeply thinking for quite sometimes.

Recently I received two emails. One was from India and the other one was from Italy. The first email was the response to my mail, which I wrote to one of my friends, who was going through some problems. Let me quote here a few lines from that email,

“I have read your mail again and again. I closed my door and I cried. I thought you were talking to me sitting side by side. Deep within I felt when everyone closes the door; God comes through someone from very distance.”

The second one was from a friend in Rome, whom I happened to meet at the door of my community and spent sometimes. Two days later she wrote to me,

“It was a sudden and unexpected meeting but meant a lot to me. Thanks for your kindness and the gift you offered to me, which was very timely. At this crucial point of my life, your kindness has showed that still there is God and He loves me.”

These two letters were the outcomes of ‘sharing’ which I had with complete trust and faith. Both of them shared with me something precious and sacred- something very core to their life. It was interesting to note that both of them linked our ‘sharing’ to God or God’s love.

In fact each time I get into a very deep and personal sharing with someone, I experience something very deep. There is something special beyond words which are spoken, which Cardinal Newman would say ‘Heart speaks to heart’. When we want to share something we go to a close friend and open our hearts. We are sure that the listener would never reveal it to anyone else. There is a complete trust and faith. How does this faith and trust grow?

I do believe that faith grows in a relationship. The relationship happens and grows naturally but based on experiences. There are different elements that might help in growing a relationship but it cannot be forcefully grown. Similarly the faith or trust to any ‘omnipotent’, for Christians Jesus (God), begins from a relationship. How do I grown into a relationship with Jesus?

I am inclined to the Human Nature of Jesus. The human face of Jesus is more appealing to me. I was lucky to have some formators at the initial stages of my formation, who have helped to grow in a loving relationship with Jesus- like a friend. I did not grow into this relationship overnight. It was a long process. My experiential knowledge of Jesus has helped me to grow into this relationship. I should also admit that this experiential knowledge came to me in and through different people and incidents (the four examples I mentioned in my previous posts), which are very subjective and beyond explanation.

At this point, should I conclude that my faith and trust in Jesus (God) or my relationship with him, is based on my human relationship here in this world. Does one relationship lead to other!!! (Yet to be completed)