We live in a sceptical age, where faith is often portrayed as the antithesis of reason. This attitude often encroaches on our own thinking and can leave us doubting the reliability of scripture and the teachings of our faith.

In the Gospel, a royal official approaches Jesus, seeking healing for his son. Jesus complains about the lack of belief he encounters all around him. However, when Jesus tells the man to ‘go, your son will live’, the man believes Jesus’ word, even before he has any proof. He believes, and his son is healed.

Scepticism and critical thinking have their uses. They help us discern what can be known with confidence and have proven to be of great utility in the advancement of many fields, especially in the sciences. They have likewise made a useful contribution to our understanding of the scriptures, helping us to discern what the authors’ intent was in writing a particular passage and how the original readers might have understood that text.

Here we can have our cake and eat it too. When we sit before the word of God, we bring the fruits of the critical method and the increased understanding it can afford us. But we also bring faith to the table. The man in the Gospel comes to Jesus, recognising his authority. Jesus is the word of God made flesh. When we come to the scriptures, we too must recognise their authority as inspired by the Holy Spirit. We also have a living tradition of interpretation, likewise inspired.

We must come before the scriptures with faith, seeking understanding. It cannot be the other way around. If our faith must be proven again and again, it will remain sceptical and dead. In the scriptures, God has spoken; let us believe his word and live.

by Fr Michael Grace