Overview

It is not possible to ‘prove’ or explain God’s existence. It is a matter of faith. Faith is God’s gift. To have faith is to believe in a person. This is not simply knowing about someone, although ‘knowing’ is important. To ‘believe in’ anyone is to be ‘in relationship’ with them. It is the same with God. To have faith, or to believe in God is to be like a child taking a trusting leap into the loving arms of a parent. A child knows they will be held securely. It is like that with God. It is only by ‘taking the leap’ of actually living life in faith – that we may come to know, deep in the heart, that God has ‘caught’ us. We somehow know ‘God is’. We are held close to the loving heart of God. It is not easy to explain to anyone who hasn’t made the trusting leap!

More Information

“On the following day as John stood there again with two of his disciples,
Jesus passed by, and John stared hard at him and said,
‘Look, there is the Lamb of God’.
Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus.
Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’
They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live? ‘
‘ Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived,
and stayed with him the rest of that day.” (John 1:35-39)

“Now there was a woman suffering from a haemorrhage for twelve years, whom no one had been able to cure. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak; and the haemorrhage stopped at that instant. Jesus said, ‘Who touched me?’ When they all denied that they had, Peter and his companions said, “Master, it is the crowds round you, pushing.’ But Jesus said, ‘Somebody touched me. I felt that power had gone out from me.’ Seeing herself discovered, the woman came forward trembling, and falling at his feet explained in front of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been cured at that very moment. ‘My daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has restored you to health; go I peace." (Luke 8:43-48)

“So far then we have seen that, through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by faith we are judged righteous and at peace with God,
since it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this stage of grace
in which we can boast about looking forward to God’s glory.” (Romans 5:1-2)

Catechism of the Catholic Church

 

(Paragraph numbers for the Catechism are shown - Click the Nos section to view)

RESPONSE TO GOD  Nos 142-143 
To know and love God   Nos 1-3 
Characteristics of Faith  Nos 144-149,  Nos 150-152,  Nos 153-165
Faith and Belief  Nos 166-167  

Handing on the Faith: Catechesis Nos 4-10