EDITORIAL | KAIROS GLOBAL | MARCH 2022

Author: Dr. Chackochan J Njavallil

It is a Gift – Faith

Have you ever heard of anyone who attained faith in God through their own efforts? Can somebody give faith in God to someone else? Absolutely not because faith in Jesus is a gift from above. The Church documents are very clear in stating that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelisation and all conversions are the act of the Holy Spirit.

What then is the role of the parents, relatives, catechists, catechism teachers and the Church is sharing faith? They all can only be facilitators; faith should be received as a gift from above by the individual.

An encounter with God is always very personal and it needs a personal response too. In the Bible and in the history of the Church we come across a large number of people called by God, and their family members follow suit. But there are many situations in which the opposite also is the case. Does it happen due to the unworthiness or unfitness of the call? It may not be appropriate to assume so. The truth is that God’s call and touch are very personal and need not necessarily be the same as one’s parents or elders. 

But, of course, it will always be a painful experience when their children do not follow the path of the Gospel which the parents profess and preach. There will be many to ridicule them for it as well. It surely is a cross to be carried by the parents on their faith journey.

There is no doubt that these parents will ceaselessly pray for their children. The time of waiting for the Lord to intervene in their children’s (many of whom would be adults) lives will be excruciating. It is important here for  the elders to never fall into the trap of guilt the devil may want to cultivate. Be continuously reminded of the fact that God’s ways are always mysterious. St Monica, the mother of St Augustine, had to wait for 18 years for her son to renounce his worldly ways and return.

In the case of salvation of souls, it is the responsibility of the individual and nobody else can be blamed for it. 

It is important that we as Christians should extend a helping hand to people who are passing through such difficult stages in their faith journey. We do not know the reality of anybody’s life and it is best not to judge.

My job is to inform, not to convince – St Bernadette Soubirous.