Faith and Convergence
Why faith must move beyond assent into witness
It has now been two weeks since Spy Wednesday—the day on which Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver (cf. Mt 26:14–16).
It is a bold and unsettling thought to say that the Church, in the person of Judas, betrayed Christ. And yet, when we survey the history of the Church, how often do we see members of the Church—clerical and lay alike—paying lip service to the Lord while using His name for their own purposes? How often does the rationalization arise: “If they can…”?
This is a hard truth, but one we must face.
There is a pattern here: Church, Synagogue, Empire—all implicated in the rejection of Christ. And yet, not all were unfaithful. Mary, the holy women, and the Beloved Disciple remained. We want to count ourselves among them. Yet we know how far we fall short—how much conversion remains, like the other Apostles who fled when fear overtook them (cf. Mk 14:50).
And perhaps they fled in part because of confusion. When violence erupted, Jesus commanded Peter the Apostle to put away his sword (cf. Jn 18:11). He refused the path of force. This confounded expectations.
The Apostles were still thinking in earthly terms: a Messiah who would overthrow Roman domination and restore Israel’s political glory. But Christ revealed a Kingdom “not of this world” (Jn 18:36). When He refused to conform to their expectations—when He embraced suffering instead of triumph—they faltered.
Even after witnessing miracles and hearing divine teaching, they did not yet understand. The Church, in its earliest form, possessed the Gospel without fully grasping it. In this, they are not unlike us. We receive the fullness of revelation, yet never exhaust its depths (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 66–67).
Holy Saturday must have been shrouded in bewilderment. And yet, even then, Christ was at work—descending to the dead, extending His victory beyond the visible realm (cf. 1 Pt 3:19; CCC 632–635).
On Easter morning, confusion remains. The tomb is empty. Pontius Pilate had secured it; humanly speaking, theft was impossible. And yet the Body is gone, and the burial cloths lie undisturbed (cf. Jn 20:6–7).
Faith begins to awaken—but slowly.
As the Easter season unfolds, we see something deeply consoling: even the Apostles struggled to believe. Faith did not come instantly; it emerged through encounter. When they believed, Christ met them.
Even Thomas the Apostle, often singled out, was not closed to faith—only cautious. Christ came to him in his doubt (cf. Jn 20:24–29), because Thomas was open.
And then comes transformation. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter—who denied the Lord—is restored (cf. Jn 21:15–17) and now speaks with authority. At the Beautiful Gate, he commands a crippled man to look at him—and the man is healed (cf. Acts 3:1–10).
Faith opens the door to divine action.
We hear this proclaimed most clearly in the Gospel:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).
“That whoever believes… might have eternal life.”
That word might matters. Faith is the beginning, not the end. As the passage continues:
“The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light…
But he who does what is true comes to the light” (Jn 3:19, 21).
Faith is not mere intellectual assent. It is not enough to affirm doctrines—the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Redemption, the sending of the Holy Spirit. These truths must be lived.
As James the Just writes: “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas 2:17).
The Acts of the Apostles shows us what living faith looks like:
“Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life” (Acts 5:20).
The Apostles obey—despite imprisonment, despite risk.
Here we encounter a point of examination.
Yes, bishops, priests, and deacons bear a unique responsibility to guard and transmit the Deposit of Faith (cf. CCC 84–86). But the laity share in this mission. As taught by the Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium (31–33), the laity are called to sanctify the world from within.
We are not passive recipients. We are participants.
To safeguard the faith, to live it fully, and to share it—this belongs to all the baptized. Baptism incorporates us into Christ’s mission (cf. Rom 6:3–5). Confirmation strengthens us for witness (cf. CCC 1285).
We do not need permission to proclaim the Gospel to those entrusted to us. We already have it.
This is what we might call convergence in faith: when belief and action become one. When what we profess is what we live.
To know the faith and not live it, not share it, is to resist that convergence.
And we must be honest: such witness can be costly. From the earliest martyrs to Christians today across the world, fidelity to Christ often entails suffering. Even today, Christians are persecuted throughout the world, up to and including death.
Even in our own context, public witness may bring misunderstanding, criticism, or marginalization.
But this does not absolve us of responsibility.
It is not enough to criticize the failures of clergy or institutions. We are called to pray for them (cf. 1 Tim 2:1–2), support them, and, when necessary and done with charity and competence, offer correction (cf. Code of Canon Law can. 212 §3).
At the same time, we are called to receive what is true in their teaching and act upon it.
And more: we must act on our own initiative. Grace is not inert.
Each of us has a mission—a concrete, personal call to make Christ known. Discovering that mission is at the heart of the Christian life.
When faith and action converge, our whole life becomes worship (cf. Rom 12:1).
We remain rooted in the sacraments—especially the Eucharist and Confession—but their effects begin to permeate everything. Our daily actions become occasions of grace. Our will, though weak, is gradually conformed to Christ’s.
Then it is no longer merely we who act, but Christ who acts in us (cf. Gal 2:20).
We may witness moral transformation. At times, even signs and wonders.
But these flow from a living faith—a faith that acts. A faith confident that God is Love (1 Jn 4:8), that He equips us for His work, and that in all things—come what may—we remain secure in Him.
Suggested Additional Sources for Enrichment
Scripture: Mt 26–28; Jn 18–21; Acts 1–5; Jas 2; Rom 12
Catechism: §§84–86 (Deposit of Faith), §§142–165 (Faith), §§1814–1816 (Theological Virtue of Faith)
Church Documents: Dei Verbum; Evangelii Nuntiandi
Theology: Thomas Aquinas on faith and charity (ST II-II, q.4)