I have once again picked up Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's Book "The Introduction to Christianity." It is a phenomenal read, and after many moons of leaving it half read and using it as a coaster on my nightstand, I now endeavour to read it all. In the first chapter of his book he discusses the truth and peculiarity of Believing. That is, there will always be doubt. However, Ratzinger also points out that believers are not alone in this minefield. No matter how sure an "unbeliever" is on his principals, he will still be visited by the "What if it's true?" question. It is these questions, one coming from someone who is a believer 90% of the time and the other coming from one who is an unbeliever 90% of the time, and the inability to have complete certainty that allow people from the two opposing viewpoints to dialogue.
Even St. Therese the Little Flower had doubts and temptations as she lay waiting for death. Ratzinger quotes her admission: "I am assailed by the worst temptations of atheism." Other great saints have had similar realizations.
Ratzinger concludes:
"In other words, both the believer and the unbeliever share, each in his own way, doubt and belief, if they do not hide from themselves and from the truth of their being. Neither can quite escape either doubt or belief; for the one, faith is present against doubt; for the other, through doubt and in the form of doubt. It is the basic pattern of man's destiny only to be allowed to find the finality of his existence in this unceasing rivalry between doubt and belief, temptation and certainty."
It is nice to know that I am not alone in having my doubts at time. No matter how we might try to suppress them, and how much we know, it is the human condition to doubt. ~Quotes taken from The Introduction to Christianity, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger; Chapter 1.
No comments:
Post a Comment