Belief

This title has much more to do than just the concept of belief. It actually deals with thoughts I had while recently listening to the John Mayer song.

Now according to dicionary.com belief is a noun meaning "confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof" or "confidence, faith, trust." And according to John Mayer, "belief is a beautiful armor, that makes for the heaviest sword." And he can't "recall, ever breaking rank at all for something someone yelled real loud one time." Finally, John asserts that "We're never gonna win the world, we're never gonna stop the war, we're never gonna beat this if belief is what we're fighting for."

I like John Mayer music. I do. It's got great guitar, and he has a really good voice. But sometimes John Mayer, the things you sing disturb me. Now, I'm not saying I disagree with what he's saying on belief. If belief is all we have, if "confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof" is the only thing we're using to try and change the world, we're in trouble. Because it does look good. It is a "beautiful armor." It is the idea that there are better times ahead. And life is good. But when trying to set the world ablaze, it "makes for the heaviest sword." We live in a world that demands proof for everything. And belief, as defined by the dictionary, doesn't offer that. But belief should not stand on it's own. Belief is interrelated, very closely, with faith.

Again, dictionary.com will define faith as "belief in god or in the doctrines or teachings of religion" (bold added for emphasis). Even in a dictionary the are interchangable and dependant on one another. But I never leave things to just how the culture points to them. In the very beginning of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) we read "Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and give himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life (26)."But what does this mean? Simple. Faith isn't just a belief. It's not just some "confidence in truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof."

Faith is man's response to God. But why are we responding? Because God is trying to reveal himself and give himself to us. So when God is revealing, or telling us something about himself, and we are responding to it, then all of a sudden we realize exactly and truly what faith is. Faith is a relationship. Faith is knowing and loving and serving God because He has revealed His goodness and mercy and love to us, and we are moved to and required to respond to the revelation.

So all of a sudden if we look at belief in reflection of what we know faith to be, everything changes. All of a sudden belief becomes confidence in truth or existence to something, which in this case, and, in my opinion what John Mayer is talking about, God, to be susceptible to rigorous proof! How better to know that something exists, that it is real and true than to know the thing. To be in relation with it. All of a sudden, my faith is pushing forward my belief in God because I know Him. I spend time with Him. I am in relation with Him.

And I think when we realize this, John Mayer's lyrics cannot hold true. Because belief that is encouraged by this faith, will cause people to "break rank for something someone yelled real loud sometime." Not because they're yelling it but because they're living it. And with this belief encouraged by this faith we can "win the world" "stop the war" and we can "beat this," and by this I mean hate and death and destruction. Belief is still a "beautiful armor" because our Lord is beautiful. But it no longer is "the heaviest sword" because a relationship is something we live and can prove and can share.

So my prayer is that all of you work to find a faith that does help you know the truth because you are in relation with the One who made you. God bless.