Companions

     Today, the Third Sunday of the Easter season, is the day Catholics read about the encounter on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus:

     And behold, two of them went, the same day, to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were held, that they should not know him.
     And he said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad?
     And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him: Art thou only a stranger to Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days? To whom he said: What things? And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people; And how our chief priests and princes delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we hoped, that it was he that should have redeemed Israel: and now besides all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us, who before it was light, were at the sepulchre, And not finding his body, came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive. And some of our people went to the sepulchre, and found it so as the women had said, but him they found not.
     Then he said to them: O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him.
     And they drew night to the town, whither they were going: and he made as though he would go farther. But they constrained him; saying: Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in with them.
     And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him: and he vanished out of their sight.
     And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in this way, and opened to us the scriptures?
     And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were staying with them, Saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way; and how they knew him in the breaking of the bread.

     [Luke 24:13-35]

     What a good thing it was that they were two together! For miracles that occur in the presence of a single witness are easily waved away. But when two or more give witness an event, it becomes harder for others to doubt it. It’s still possible, of course, but disbelievers’ accusations must change from hallucination to conspiracy.

* * *

     I have no quarrel with sola scriptura Christians. After all, the Church’s proper authority depends upon the Gospels, so he who prefers his own interpretation of Christ’s words is welcome to it. However, the sola scriptura Christian is frequently alone. That can be an uncomfortable condition.

     Those of us who occasionally entertain doubts are comforted by the knowledge that we’re not alone in our beliefs. Really, how many Christians are there who never have a moment’s doubt? After all, the key events are far back in time. Surely it’s possible that the history is inaccurate, as histories have sometimes been. And there’s always the (remote) possibility that it’s pure fiction – that Jesus of Nazareth was an ordinary man like ourselves, or even that He never existed at all!

     Doubt can creep into any man’s soul. Pope Benedict XVI was unabashed in admitting that doubt had sometimes afflicted him. In his book Introduction to Christianity, he declared doubt an unavoidable part of human existence. I feel that he is correct. Moreover, doubt can work most powerfully upon one who is alone in his faith.

     What really holds faith fast is the determination to go on living it:

     Gavin extracted himself from his bed and plunged into his Sunday morning ritual. When he'd buckled himself into the passenger seat of his father's car, and Evan had backed them out of the driveway and onto Kettle Knoll Way, he said, "Dad? Do you ever...doubt?"
     "Hm? Our faith in God, you mean?" Evan kept his eyes on the dark ribbon of road unwinding before them.
     "Yeah." Gavin braced himself for the answer. What he got was not what he expected.
     "Now and then," his father said. "It's hard not to doubt something you can't see or touch. But faith isn't about certainty. It's about will."
     "So you...will away your doubts?"
     Evan chuckled. "That would be a neat trick, wouldn't it?" He pulled the Mercedes Maybach into the small side parking lot of Our Lady of the Pines, parked and killed the engine. "No, I simply command myself to do as I know I should do. Faith is expressed just as much by our deeds as by our words. As long as I can consistently act from faith, I can keep my grip on it, regardless of my doubts." He nodded toward the unlit church, barely visible in the darkness. "You might say that's why we're here."

     [From this short story.]

     But even that determination can falter in the face of severe temptation – and never doubt this, at least: it’s the best among us who are most severely assailed by their tempters.

     A companion in faith is a kind of armor against doubt. If you have one, you can’t doubt your own intellect or sanity without doubting his as well. Cleophas and his companion on the journey to Emmaus saw the same thing: the risen Christ, briefly revealed to them in His glory. Neither doubted for that same reason.

     Perhaps you don’t have a companion in faith. Perhaps you don’t feel you need one. But if there’s room in your life, why not see about making the acquaintance of someone like yourself who’s willing to talk about his faith now and then? He’ll be a fallible human believer, who’s subject to doubt from time to time. But at such times he’ll have you, and vice versa. Each of you, in living your faith, will help to protect the other.

     May God bless and keep you all.