The Role of Faith – In Uncertain Times

Only a few weeks after I obtained my driver’s license, I was pressed into driving my whole family home from a long trip during a torrential thunderstorm. We were traveling from my grandparents' cabin in northern Minnesota back to our home in Minneapolis with my mother, three sisters and my aunt all packed in the car. This was a trip we made often during the summer, but this particular day will always remain etched into my memory because I learned about the role faith plays in our lives, especially when things seem out of our control.

My mother drove the car for the first leg of the trip and everything went well until we encountered dark, ominous rain clouds on the horizon. Soon, large heavy drops of rain began to pelt the windshield as gusts of wind made the pine trees on either side of the road sway back and forth. It was at this point that my mother pulled the car over and told me she didn’t feel comfortable driving in this type of weather. She told me to get in the front and drive us rest of the way home. I was sixteen years old and had only been driving with a license for a few weeks, but that didn’t seem to matter. I found myself sliding behind the wheel of our 1972 Chevelle in less than favorable driving conditions.

I gingerly drove the car down the narrow highway with the windshield wipers slapping back and forth as fast as they could. Soon, we traveled several miles and I began to gain a sense of confidence. I relaxed a bit and that was when the front tire went off the shoulder, just a bit. I did a quick correction and the car, and my passengers swayed back and forth as we rejoined the highway. My confidence quickly skirted away. I could tell my mom and my aunt were looking at me, worried.

It was at this point the flicker of light appeared in the rearview mirror. It surprised me and I did my best to maintain the car’s position on the road despite the distraction. It appeared again and I realized it was coming from inside the car. My aunt, a woman of faith, had lit her prayer candle while sitting in the back seat. She had deemed my driving abilities lacking and was now employing a host of saints to guide me. I appreciated the prayers, but the light of the candle inside the car added an even bigger challenge as I tried to focus on the road. Fortunately, her prayers were answered, and we safely arrived home one hour later.

Faith, the ability to trust in someone or something other than ourselves is an important aspect of the human experience. It’s something we naturally do in our relationships when we trust a teammate or coworker to do their best. We place our faith in many things throughout the day, trusting that the microwave in our kitchen will work, the television will still display an image and our internet will still allow us to stream our favorite movies. Our faith is demonstrated in our actions since we expect all these objects to operate as promised. Life cannot be lived without faith.

What is interesting about faith is that the amount doesn’t matter, it’s the object in which it is placed that counts. My mother had a tremendous amount of faith in my driving skills, but my aunt soon realized that her faith (regardless of the amount) needed to be placed somewhere else. People and objects are not always trustworthy. Faith truly makes a difference when it is placed in something eternally trustworthy. In our Catholic tradition our object of faith is Jesus Christ. He is the One who is trustworthy and is present and always ready to assist us. It is His life and the price He paid that grants us access to our Heavenly Father and all spiritual things.

It is important to remember during these challenging times that our faith continues to play a key role and that faith is centered in our Savior.

Romans 8:38-39

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.