Faith
Faith
On the occasion of our first gathering in the Hall of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic for our spiritual meetings, we wish to meditate on one of the virtues that belonged to Saint Athanasius—one of his most prominent virtues: faith in the idea.
He was a man who believed in a principle and was filled with it. That principle took hold of his whole heart, mind, and will, and through this faith, he received a mighty power by which he could walk through life without fear or hesitation.
The world rose against him, yet he was not shaken, for he believed in the spiritual principle that ruled his heart, his mind, and his will.
Emperors, councils, and powers of evil all opposed him. Plots, conspiracies, and false accusations were raised against him. Yet he stood firm—his steadfastness came from his faith in his principle.
The secret of the strength of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic lies in his faith, for faith can work miracles no matter the obstacles.
The essential question about faith is this: Is there faith or not?
Let me give you examples of this faith.
Our Lord Jesus Christ walked on the water and reached the boat. Peter said to Him, “Lord, I want to walk with You.” Jesus answered, “Come.” With this strong faith, Peter walked on the water without fear, because he believed that his hand was in Christ’s hand. But when his faith weakened, he began to sink.
Take another example: astronauts firmly believe that there exists an area of weightlessness—without gravity. Because of their belief in that state, they leave their spacecraft and float without falling.
It is a matter of faith—it is the power of faith that makes a person walk even on air, not just on water! Science may explain that there is a region without gravity, but it is the power of faith that enables astronauts to move freely and gives them tremendous courage.
Faith gives power; lack of faith gives fear.
In the Holy Bible, we find that by faith Moses walked through the Red Sea; without such faith, he could not have done so. Faith gives a strange strength that makes a person face difficulties and obstacles with a strong heart—unafraid, confident in the result he will reach.
Take Noah, for example. When he was in the ark, he brought with him lions, leopards, and wild beasts two by two. Were it not for his faith that these creatures would not harm him, he would never have taken them. Noah could not have done this work without strong faith—faith that God would preserve him in the ark and that the beasts would not hurt him.
Strong faith makes a person neither afraid nor shaken, nor does he give weight to difficulties or obstacles.
A person with faith can always do what others cannot.
The difference between the bravest and the most fearful person is faith. The courageous one believes that nothing will harm him, while the cowardly one believes the opposite.
Every person can succeed in any work if he strongly believes in it. Those who have succeeded believed in their mission and walked their path with faith.
In all circumstances, faith is necessary. The patient who has faith recovers; the one who has none collapses.
Perhaps a smile given to a patient brings hope, strengthening his faith and leading to healing. Perhaps a word from a loved one or a priest strengthens a person’s faith so that he can endure illness and recover.
Even with contagious diseases—those who believe that there is no contagion approach the sick fearlessly, embracing them without worry.
Priests do not believe in contagion at all; they have remarkable faith, no matter the state of the sick.
And among those with great faith are mothers. A mother sleeps beside her sick child and never leaves him. She does not believe in contagion—she believes in love, and thus she is never afraid.
What people lack in life is faith—faith that there is no fear, no harm, no exhaustion. Through faith, fear disappears.
Think of construction workers on tall buildings—they are not afraid of falling. If another person tried the same work, he would be terrified, fearing wind, storms, and gravity—his heart would tremble. That is lack of faith.
The difference between the strongest and the weakest person is faith. Do you have faith or not?
Faith means that you truly believe and are certain deep within that nothing will harm you in trials and tribulations. Some are shaken by trials; others are not. The one who is not shaken has faith that nothing will happen to him; the one who trembles lacks such faith.
One person faces a trial and says, “It will end well.” That person is brave and unafraid. Another imagines dangers that do not exist.
People need more faith in order to live.
A person succeeds when he believes in an idea that takes root in his depths, giving him great strength and driving him toward good.
Take missionaries, for instance—those who went to the depths of Africa or to distant lands with harsh conditions and climates. Because of their faith in their mission and the goodness of their work, they went, lived, and preached the name of Christ there.
They believed in the importance and seriousness of their task—that there were souls to be brought to God and God’s Kingdom to be established among the pagans.
Faith gave them strength; they cared not for exile, wild beasts, or harsh weather.
They believed in the idea burning in their hearts like fire. Others, no matter how much they are encouraged, cannot do the same, because they lack faith.
What we need is faith—faith in the idea, faith that burns in the heart, faith in the Kingdom of God.
How did the apostles preach Christ? They believed in the Kingdom and in their mission. They had to go, preach, and testify to God. They went to lands where there was no one and worked faithfully.
Not only missionaries but also reformers everywhere—what drove them to reform? It was faith in their idea and their struggle for it.
“Gandhi,” who believed in peace and nonviolence, believed in his idea and was able to free India through it. He created a generation of spiritual people who believed in nonviolence.
Gandhi believed in his idea, practiced it, and taught it to others no matter what obstacles he faced. He resisted British colonialism, demanded Indian independence, and achieved it. Then he sought to liberate the outcasts of India, fasting long for their freedom. He also fasted for Muslims, calling for peace and love in India. Once he fasted until he nearly died.
This is the man who believed firmly and steadfastly in his principle, spreading it and forming a generation of righteous people.
Such is the man who has an idea and struggles for it until it is established and spread. All reformers believe in an idea, practice it, and proclaim it.
What is the difference between those who act and those who do not? The difference is faith in the idea.
Even in spiritual matters—take prayer, for example. There is a person of prayer who lives by prayer, and another who fails in it. What is the difference between them? The difference is faith in prayer. You succeed in prayer if you believe in it, believing it to be the only solution in your life.
Some face a problem and try to solve it through intelligence or experience, then turn to prayer afterward—this is prayer without faith. Another person solves his problem using both his abilities and prayer. Yet another believes that only prayer can solve his problem. He prays from the depths of his heart, feeling that his issue will be resolved through prayer.
Our problems are not solved by prayer because we do not truly believe in prayer. Do we feel that prayer is the only solution to our problems?
Those who excelled in prayer, and whom God heard, truly believed in the power of prayer, feeling as they prayed that they entrusted their matters to the loving hands of God.
Do we believe with full conviction in other virtues? Are they firmly rooted in our hearts?
According to your faith in prayer, you will succeed in prayer. According to your faith in God, you will succeed in your relationship with Him. In any idea, according to your faith, you will succeed.
Our relationships with our friends become strong if we have firm faith in them. Those who believe in love cannot be overcome by storms, satanic forces, or obstacles, because they have strong faith in that love, friendship, and relationship.
What is the difference between a righteous person and a corrupt one?
The righteous person believes in the importance of eternal life. He believes he is a stranger on earth and values the other life, preparing for it. Truly, if we fully believed in the depth of our hearts in the importance of eternity and the life to come, we would never sin.
We sin because eternity is a secondary matter for us.
Our holy fathers succeeded in the spiritual life because they believed in eternal life, for “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”
They believed in eternal life and thus lived powerfully with God.
Why do we sometimes succeed and sometimes fail in our spiritual lives? Our failure is because we have not yet fully believed in the importance of eternity and the life to come. We believe in our earthly life instead.
He who believes firmly in eternity does not sin.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani newspaper on 3–6–1973.
