“WHAT IS FAITH?”
1. What is one key idea in this chapter?
One key idea in this chapter is the difference between the secular definition of faith and the Catholic (theological) definition of Faith. At first the two might seem the same but in reality are two different things, shown by either having a lower case f or a capitalized F. I am going to focus on the lower case f, or the secular definition of faith. This is the faith that is used in an everyday, non-religious sense. Faith in this sense can be summed up as complete trust, and a calculated risk. Without complete trust you cannot have faith. Do you have faith that the Cardinals will win the World Series next year? Would you bet all that you own on that prediction? If you would then you would have complete trust and truly have faith. If you would pass on that, then you might have some trust, but not enough to make it complete trust, or faith. “We place our faith in many different kinds of things, but the key to living a fulfilled life is to decide which things are truly worth putting our faith in.”
2. What are two of the
most important ideas you want to remember from this section?
The first important idea that I would like to remember from this section would be the idea of complete trust, not just trust. After reading the section and seeing examples, I realized the difference between trust and complete trust. I thought that I had faith in certain things and after this section, I noticed that what I thought I had faith in, I might not have any faith in at all. Complete trust is a lot to give, and not many people are willing to give it at all. It is a tough thing to give, and also receive. A great example that will always stay with me is that of Jim Goodnight. If you do not know, he owns SAS and treats his employees like his family. It is almost as if the job is vacation. You will not believe me until you see it for yourself. He is only able to treat his employees like this though, because he has complete trust in them, that if they are treated well they will do the best work they are capable of and they will both be happy.
The second
important idea that I want to remember is to put my faith into things that are
truly worth putting my faith in and that help me to live a fulfilled life. Does this mean have an hour reflection before
putting my faith in something? No. It simply means that to live a fulfilled life,
you have to put your faith into the things you believe in and truly have
complete trust in. Danny Meyer is a perfect
example of a person who has put his faith in the things that he has truly
believed in and now lives a fulfilled life.
He owns multiple popular
3. Pick one image that reminds you of the topic.
This image was found on http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/F-L/Goodnight-Jim-1943.html
4. Ask one good question you should keep with
you to ponder and offer your best answer.
Can you have Faith, the Catholic definition, without having faith, the secular definition?
I believe that you cannot have Faith without having faith. I believe this because when you have Faith in God, you also have Faith in his teachings and his priests. How can you have Faith in God, without having faith in his priests? You can’t. Priests and other high officials of the church are God’s messengers and without having faith in them bringing the news of God to us you cannot have Faith in God. It is almost like saying the Cardinals are good, then a few seconds later saying the players on the Cardinals are horrible. It just doesn’t make any sense.