Why Do You Believe?
It always intrigued me to hear what people believed and what they chose not to believe. Belief isn’t about physical proof. We believe things every day we have proof of. They say ‘seeing is believing’ but we believe things every day we do not see. As I wrote the other day, we also choose not to believe what is in front of our eyes. So, what is it about belief?
Every day we read stories of the saints in the calendar. We read about amazing miracles they performed when faced with violent deaths. We hear about the miracle healings of Christ in the Gospels. We hear accounts of holy men and women living is such austere conditions without food, but they do not die. Most of these stories sound so fantastic, we wonder if they are even true.
Indeed, many today do not believe the accounts of the martyr saints. They attribute the stories to legends meant to comfort us in our pain. I guess by today’s standards, the miracles of the Scriptures and the early Church are so beyond our contemporary mind, it is easier to think of them as mere legends. What is so confusing to me is that we still believe in God.
We say we believe in God. We say He is all powerful. We say He is all knowing. We say He has the power to do whatever He desires. Yet, we choose not to believe the fantastic stories in the Scriptures and the early Church. Either we believe in God, or we do not.
Today is the Feast of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou who lived in the 9th Century. You should get to know her as she has been performing miracles up to the present day. She lived to be more than 100 years old, but she remained as beautiful as when she was young.
I read this today and thought, “How could this be? We all grow old.” Then, I reminded myself. I believe that Saint Paraskevi was boiled in hot oil without being harmed. I believe that the Three Youth remained unharmed in the fiery furnace. Why not believe Saint Irene lived to be over 100 years old with her youthful beauty? I choose to believe because I believe in God.
If we choose to believe that God is all powerful, then we can choose to believe the stories about the Saints. This is further proof that belief is a free choice and cannot be forced. We cannot trick someone to believe. We cannot debate them into belief. We either believe or we do not. That is between a person and God.
So, if you choose to believe as I do that God is and was and will be what the Church teaches about Him, then life becomes much more understandable. It is easier to understand why Christians are tormented by those who refuse to believe. It is easier to accept the suffering when we believe God has our life in His hands. It is just easier to believe…for me. Maybe not for you.
I invite you over the weekend to ask yourself, “Do you believe?” If you do, then why don’t you live like you believe? If you do not believe, I understand. Be Transfigured Ministries is here not to force you or convince you to believe. Be Transfigured Ministries is a ministry to help those who choose to believe to Live A New Life In Christ.
