Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, November 16, 2000
Faith Alive i!
The Southern Cross, Page 9
Does faith “do”
something for us?
By Frederic Flach, MD, KHS
Catholic News Service
When I underwent surgery for
prostate cancer nine years ago, I had a
good deal of faith in my doctor. I also
had a good deal of faith in God, hoping
the outcome would be successful —
which, fortunately, it was.
f"y. I prayed. A lot of others prayed too.
One of my friends enrolled me in a
prayer network that extended across
the country.
So, I do believe that God was with
me then, as he has been
at all the other dark and
dangerous moments of
my life. However, I’m
not entirely comfortable
thinking of faith as “do
ing something for me.”
That strikes me as utili-
1 ^arian.
After all, faith is at
the heart of our relation
ship with God and his
with us, as central to
our spiritual lives as our
heart and lungs are to
our bodies.
Nonetheless, faith
does “do” something
ery important for us,
mentally and physi
cally. It gives us a ma
trix through which to
interpret and under
stand all the happy and
sad events of our lives.
Faith generates
the motivation and
strength to develop
patterns of behavior
that we doctors
now are intimately
related to healthy
living. Compassion,
generosity, forgive
ness aren’t just vir
tues. They are es
sential components
of personal resil
ience — that set of
characteristics so necessary to devol
ving our own unique talents, engag
ing in meaningful human relation
ships and coping effectively with life
stresses.
Perhaps the most important gift
faith affords us is protection against
the ravages of helplessness. Belief in
God’s existence and love and concern
for each of us affords us a sense of
control over experiences and events
that otherwise can engulf us in a
quagmire of despair.
I shall always remember one pa
tient, a 41-year-old man, caught in
the pain of severe depression. I knew
that with psychotherapy and antide
pressant medication he would be on
his way to recovery within a few
weeks. But, blinded by his mood, he
couldn’t know that. Yet because of his
faith in God he was able to transcend
his hopelessness. At one and the same
time he felt, on a purely human level,
Viat all was lost, and he believed God
would see him through.
How much more confusing and ter
rifying — and frequently interfering
with a patient’s response to treatment
— is the experience of depression
without a window of faith through
which to view it.
Helplessness is the enemy. It sets
in motion a series of physical and psy
chological events that injure the body.
Changes in hormonal levels, cardio
vascular function, bone density, im
mune function and the operations of
the brain set the stage for chronic
illness and premature death. The
strongest antidote is faith.
Now some clear evidence is emerg
ing to substantiate this. Studies show
that depressed patients recover more
quickly and fully if they have what is
called “intrinsic
faith” — an inner
conviction of God
and his interactions
with human beings,
and not just the
trappings of reli
gion.
Other studies in
dicate that men and
women who attend
religious services at
least once a week
have life expectancy about seven years
longer than average.
We would do well to consider add
ing lack of faith to the list of health-
risk factors such as smoking, high
cholesterol, lack of exercise and inad
equate stress management.
Faith is a bulwark in times of ill
ness and adversity, and faith is a cata
lyst to help us attain longer, healthier
lives.
(Frederic Flach, M.D., is a psychia
trist and a Knight of the Holy Sepul
chre of Jerusalem. He has authored
numerous books including “The Se
cret Strength of Angels,” and, most
recently, “Faith, Healing, and
Miracles,” Hatherleigh Press, New
York.)
All contents copyright©2000 by CNS
CNS photo from Cleo Freelance Photography
e would do well to con
sider adding lack of faith to
the list of health-risk factors
such as smoking, high cho
lesterol, lack of exercise and
inadequate stress manage
ment.”
,na Nutshell
Faith doesn’t fulfill a merely utilitarian role. But can we say
that faith “does” something for us?
Faith points the way to happiness and fullness of life. Faith
provides a matrix through which to interpret the happy and
sad events of life.
Faith frees us — not to buy the most, but to make
commitments, love others, focus on something besides
ourselves, follow Christ.
Faith, the “resource”
for freedom
By Father John W. Crossin, OSFS
Catholic News Service
o
V/ ne hundred TV channels;
multiple cell phones; dozens of fla
vors of ice cream! “We are free when
we can choose.” “We are free when
we do what we want.” “We are free
when we are autonomous.”
Christian freedom stands in con
trast to this “freedom to have,” this
“freedom to do it my way.”
Christian freedom focuses not on
the outside but the inside, not on
possessions but on character.
Things can enslave us. Autonomy
can seduce us.
Yes, we are free — not for infinite
possibilities, but for the good. We
are free when we make commit
ments. We are free to love others.
We are free to follow Christ.
In fact, in following Christ we are
free. Faith in Christ liberates us.
First, faith in Christ is deeply per
sonal. A Christian parent or friend, a
moment of silence, a blessed encoun
ter in love lead us to Christ. And faith
in Christ liberates us from past sins;
from “figuring it all out”; from focus
ing on ourselves.
Second, following Christ is deeply
communal. We join others in follow
ing Christ. We serve the poor with
others; we pray the sacraments
with others. This community pro
vides wisdom we can use. Our spiri
tual friends in the community help
us to grow into the virtues of Jesus
Christ. Like the apostles, we work
together to bring light to the world.
And the communal wisdom of
times gone by can help and guide us
— liberate us. One example of past
wisdom is the Creed.
The Creed recited at Mass each
Sunday summarizes our faith in a
beautiful, instructive way. It
holds up the key elements of our
belief. It provides a benchmark
against which to measure our
selves. It directs our lives in a
positive way.
How deeply do these primordial
truths about Jesus touch our
hearts?
They remind us of our individual
need for salvation. They also unite
us with other Christians. We recite
the same Creed. We are called to a
deeper tolerance of others. Christ
came to save us all.
And we only know what we be
lieve most deeply when we live it.
Intellectual knowledge, an under
standing of the words of the Creed,
is necessary but not sufficient. The
most profound knowledge comes in
the doing.
Our attempts to understand oth
ers — especially those quite differ
ent from us in ethnic background,
race, culture or dispositions — are a
case in point. Christ calls us to be a
respectful and healing presence to
others.
Thus, I conclude:
—In the doing, we are praying
the Creed.
—In following Christ, we are
most free.
(Oblate Father Crossin is execu
tive director of the Washington
Theological Consortium and au
thor of “Friendship: The Key to
Spiritual Growth, ” Paulist Press.)
FAITH IN THE MARKETPLACE
Name a belief — an aspect of your faith — that strongly influences
your thinking, your approach to life.
“I would say it’s the belief that we are all children of God, we are all
equal, we are all one family and should treat one another that way.” —
Mary Dupuis, Great Falls, Mont.
“Eucharist. It inspires me to make my life a total offering of myself just
as Jesus offers himself totally through the Eucharist.” — Father Rick
Danielson, Brattleboro, Vt.
“To me, it would be the two greatest commandments: Love your Lord
God above everything else, and love your neighbor as yourself.” — Marsia
Butler, Waubay, S.D.
“That prayer is powerful, and that it is answered.” — Nancy Root,
Clovis, N.M.
An upcoming edition asks: What is something of great value to you now that wasn’t so
10, 15 or 25 years ago? How did this value develop? If you would like to respond
/t\ for possible publication, please write: Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth St. N.E.,
ry?v/-3 Washington, D.C. 20017-1100.