In this article, Bishop André Tiphane offers an in-depth reflection on the role of Christian faith during challenging moments.
Several years ago, I had the privilege of hiking a beautiful mountain. Along with a few friends, we set off early in the morning, ready for the climb. The sky was cloudy, but a clearing was expected…
A Rich Experience in Life Lessons
We were in for a surprise: fog! On the approach trail, the mist was so thick that we sometimes lost sight of each other on the path! We pressed on, a little anxious.
I remember my father saying, “When there’s fog, one of two things will happen: either it will fall and clear up, or it will rise and stay cloudy.” In our case, it fell. Gradually, the path cleared. We began to glimpse parts of the ascent, and then the summit appeared! Later, under a radiant sun, we completed our magnificent day.
All of this to say that sometimes, we can’t see clearly. We’re unsure of where our life, vocation, project, or mission is headed. Even the goal seems hidden, hard to discern. We proceed tentatively, step by step, uncertain but trusting that we’re heading in the right direction and that… the summit is there, somewhere!
Sometimes we realize we didn’t take the shortest route. Or that we strayed off course. Or that we’ve lost sight of our companions. Or that we’ve failed. Other times, anxiety rises, or discouragement creeps in—the feeling that we’ll never make it… So many emotions experienced on the journey of life!
What Role Does Faith Play During Difficult Times?
What role does our faith have when we face fog, clouds, or the apparent absence of sunshine? When doubt sets in, how can we regain confidence? When anxiety overwhelms us, how can we believe that life can still be simple?
Sometimes we wish faith were “useful.” That with faith, we’d be spared problems, doubts, injustices, and suffering. That by doing “the right things,” we’d be shielded from life’s hardships. Unfortunately, as the great saints testify, this isn’t the case!
Faith isn’t a useful accessory to our lives, something we take like a consumer product for its benefits. Faith lies instead within an unfathomable mystery woven into our deepest hearts—a mysterious trust that He is there, an assurance that God is alive within and among us. Simply.
Faith cannot be commanded; it’s not the fruit of an effort of will or a reward for heroic religious acts. It is there, available, offered. God is a gift, constantly given, and constantly to be discovered, deepened, and rediscovered! Like the sun, God continually offers Himself, ceaselessly giving us Life—His life!
The Path of Faith on Life’s Journey
Since faith dwells within us, it is lived out in the real world, in real life, with our bodies, our emotions, and even our difficult moments. We are not pure spirits without bodies! Like Jesus, we experience temptations, joys, and sorrows. We saw Jesus weep at Lazarus’s death. He was overcome by emotion. We recall His tears in agony. We even heard Him cry out His feeling of abandonment to the Father! And yet, if anyone was supposed to have faith, it was Him…
This shows that our journey of faith isn’t lived above life’s problems and challenges. If God is like the sun, clouds can obscure our view. Sometimes we no longer perceive Him. Sometimes we no longer feel His presence. Faith isn’t always a sunny day!
On the contrary, because faith is lived in the real world, it is forged on cloudy days. It grows stronger after a storm. It is often rediscovered after a tempest. Like the sun…
Faith cannot be an escape into an imaginary, unreal world, as though running away would solve our problems. We cannot live our lives in a space capsule above the clouds! Faith is for real life… often under the clouds!
Could faith help us face challenges? Support us through life’s cloudy days? Could it be a refuge while the storm calms? Could it be a rock in our existence? A solid anchor in our depths when waves overwhelm us? An inner warmth when the cold threatens us? Each of us must answer these questions.
Lived in our daily quest for life, faith is experienced sometimes under cloudy skies, sometimes under radiant sunshine. Our challenge as pilgrims: dare to believe that, even during long periods when He seems absent, hidden behind thick clouds, God, our God, is truly there! He quietly warms us. He gently lights our way. Let us trust and dare to live our faith… beyond the clouds!
By André Tiphane, Priest
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