Faith in Christians

Hello! Welcome to my question and answer forum that is designed to assist Christian followers in furthering their understanding of the Christian faith, by answering any questions or problems they may have about the faith. Over the past month I have had eight different people write to me about Christian topics that they are troubled with, and I have provided them with an answer to help them fully understand and expand their knowledge about the Christian faith. As a student currently studying growth in Christian life, I am also experiencing benefits of doing this because it is also furthering my understanding and knowledge as well. After reading through the forum, please feel free to submit any questions or quarrels you may have. Enjoy!

Dear Adam, my name is John and I am currently a sophomore at PC. In my theology class we are discussing the three requirements of sound reason for believing in someone, whether it is human or divine. For the first of the requirements, the desire for God, I am not quite sure that I totally agree with what is being said. In my opinion I believe that I can lead a truly happy and free life without living in communion with God. In today's society there are so many other things that can make me happy and feel free, why do I need to God to truly feel that way?

Dear John, I completely understand what you are saying. Today's world has made it very easy for people to believe they are living a truly happy and free life, when they are not in existence with God. However, we all must remember that man is by nature a religious being since we were all made by God himself. Man is a creature from God and inevitably going towards God to reach heaven when we die, therefore, we only live a fully human life if we live by our bond with God. Man is made to find true happiness in God and until we find that happiness we will never truly be happy or free. The bible says, "When I am completely untied to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete" (St. Augustine, Conf. 10, 28, 39: PL 32, 795). In order to be truly happy in life we must be certain about the existence of God because he is the cause and end of everything that we know, our relationship with him is how we will fully experience a happy life.

Dear Adam, I have been working at PC for over twenty years now and I still have yet to fully grasp the meaning of God being three persons in one divine being. I cannot understand how God can also be his son, who can also be the Holy Spirit. Doesn't it seem like the three needs to be different people?

Dear writer, the mystery of the Holy Trinity is definitely the central mystery behind the entire Christian faith so it is okay that you do not fully understand it right now, let me help you. When dealing with this mystery, the only way that we can know God is all three is by him revealing himself to us in each way. When Jesus was resurrected from the grave, it was God revealing that the Son is one and the same God with the Father. The Holy Spirit is also one and the same God because the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son from the father revealing so. "The Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the son in person, once he had returned to the Father" (CCC, 244). The Holy Trinity is both in separable in what they are, as well as what they do. What differentiates the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the divine operations and missions that each does.

Dear Adam, I am starting to think about the Catholic faith because I want to convert, however, I am having a hard time trying to understand how one person can be both a human, and divine. It does not seem possible that out of all the people in the world, there is only one such as this with powers so great no one can fully understand.

Dear writer, we must first understand that Jesus is the son of the creator of all things in the universe. When we realize that, we then can imagine how much power he truly holds and how he does good with it. Jesus has revealed himself to man by gradually telling us his mysteries and deeds through words, which essentially is the Bible. Jesus has manifested to certain people throughout the ages to prove that he is both divine and human. The first persons to even meet him were our parents, Adam and Eve, when he promised them salvation and offered them his covenant. Then, it was Noah, Abraham, and Moses. God has shown his true self fully by sending his own son, in whom he has established his covenant. When we fully accept that Jesus has both human and divine powers, that is when our relationship with him grows because we realize that is always with us. It is impossible for someone who is not human and divine to be with us all of the time, but because Jesus is, we can have faith.

Dear Adam, I am a woman who is getting married in the next couple of months and I am starting to question why I should get married. I know that I deeply love my fiancé and I want to be with him forever, however, I want to make sure that I am marrying him for the right reasons according to the church. In today's society people are not getting married for the right reasons, and I think a main problem is because people don't understand the sentimental and Christian meaning behind marriage.

Hello and congratulations! God created man and woman so that they will have each other on Earth. "It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him" (CCC, 371). Man and woman were made for each other because God wanted