God makes himself known to us through Revelation in order both to give us something and to draw a response from us. Both this gift of God and our response to his Revelation are called faith. By faith, we are able to give our minds and hearts to God, to trust in his will, and to follow the direction he gives us.
• Faith is a gift from God.He not only enters a relationship with us, but also gives us the grace or help to respond in faith. This grace enables us to hear the Word of God.
• Faith is a personal and communal relationship.A personal faith says, “I believe in God.” This is an act of belief in the one, true, and living God. We gratefully give our hearts and minds to God. We have a personal relationship with the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
But faith is also communal. It is not just a private act. In the assembly of believers at Mass, we profess our faith together and join our hearts as we experience ourselves as the Mystical Body of Christ.
•Faith is necessary for salvation.“Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation” (CCC, no. 161). “Faith is necessary for salvation. The Lord himself [teaches]: ‘He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned’” (CCC, no. 183,Mark 16:16)
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Faith is a free, conscious, human act.God never forces his truth and love upon us. He reveals himself to us as free human beings, and our faith response to him is made within the context of our freedom. Living in faith is not possible unless there is action on our part. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to make a decision to respond to divine Revelation, and to follow through in living out our response.
• Faith seeks understanding and is a friend of reason.Faith and reason work together to discover truth. To ever suppose that human thought or scientific research can or should be in conflict with faith is a mistaken approach because this position denies the basic truth that everything has been created by God. Scholarly and scientific research that is carried out in a manner faithful to reason and to moral law will not conflict with truth as revealed by God (see CCC, no. 159).
