Many people wonder how faith and truth fit together. Do we believe because something is true, or is it true because we believe? This question reaches the center of what it means to trust in God — for Christian faith is not blind belief, but a loving response to the truth of who God is.
Faith, at its heart, is an act of trust. When we say “I believe,” we are not closing our eyes to reason — we are opening them wider, beyond what reason alone can see. Faith begins where human understanding reaches its limit. As St. Augustine once said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” Faith and truth are not opposites, but companions on the same path.
The truth we seek is not merely an idea or a doctrine; it is a Person. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). When we believe in Him, we are placing our trust in the One who embodies truth itself. Through Him, faith becomes not just knowledge about God, but a living relationship with Truth incarnate. Faith opens our hearts to receive what reason could never fully grasp — that truth is love revealed.
The Church teaches that faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth. Reason helps us understand the world; faith helps us understand God’s heart. When both work together, we see reality as it truly is — illuminated by divine light. Truth does not threaten faith; it strengthens it. And faith, in turn, guides reason to its highest goal: communion with the God of truth.
When we live by faith, we begin to live truthfully — not according to passing feelings or opinions, but according to what is eternal and real. Faith shapes how we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. It teaches us that truth is not something we invent, but something — and Someone — we humbly receive.
To believe is to entrust ourselves to the Truth who loves us. May we walk each day with minds open and hearts faithful, knowing that the deeper we believe, the more clearly we see.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
