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What is the Foundation of Your Conviction?

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A high school teacher once assigned me a research paper about racism. The Internet was brand-new, so I plugged something into AltaVista—I'm old—and clicked the first link. The article was confusing. It was about a woman who regretted marrying a man of a different race. After scrolling up, I saw that I had randomly arrived at a fan site for the Ku Klux Klan.


I've paid attention to the source of my information ever since.


Media bias is a strange topic to open a blog about living the Christian faith amid family life. But stay with me.


What do you have faith in? What truths do you trust to shape your actions, words, and perspective? What's the foundation of your conviction?


You want to know these answers before jumping into a new blog. Don't you?


"Consider the source" is the first rule of research. Understand the source's biases. Account for the source's assumptions. Decide if you trust it.


The goal of this post is to make your job easy. You'll know the assumptions that my writing takes for granted. You'll see the values that my writing encourages you to embrace. You'll understand if you should keep reading.


Here we go!


Faith

I don't believe much. 


That probably sounds strange since I'm a Catholic deacon. What I mean is ideas are many, but truths are few. I try not to hold onto opinions too tightly, especially my own. From politics to parenting, I'm just doing my best with what I have. New ideas are welcome.


Science has this figured out. Did you know that gravity is still a scientific theory, not a law? If a better explanation for stuff wanting to stick together comes along, the scientific community will go for it.


What would our world look like if everyone treated their opinions as theories instead of laws?


Beliefs are different. Being convinced of something comes after a careful review of compelling evidence. I don't have the energy to believe much.


The Apostles' and Nicean creeds express my beliefs about God.


As every adult entering the Catholic Church says, I believe and profess all that the Catholic Church teaches, believes, and proclaims to be revealed by God.


My conviction relies on a combination of reason, experience, and faith. We exist, so something must have caused us. Let's call that something "God." This God has revealed Himself to me in countless ways. In particular, two encounters with the Eucharist leave me convinced that He is present in it. As a young man, I figured that if God is in the Eucharist, the Catholic Church must be right about the rest of her teachings. This theory has proven true so much that I freely place my faith in it.


Hope

Hope is simple if the God of the Christians exists. Don't hope in anything but heaven.


Placing my hope in anything here makes no sense. I still do it because I'm not good at remembering God is real moment-to-moment, but it makes no sense.


Hope in heaven and remembering to let go of expectations here heavily influence my writing (and internal monologue). "What's the worst that can happen." isn't scary if the answer is heaven.


The anxieties of life hit all of us hard. Hope is the only antidote that helps me. I have no idea how people without hope cope with this world.


Charity

Charity is the natural fruit of belief in a God who wants to hang out with you. What should we do about our faith and hope?


Charity has two themes: sharing and availability. 


Sharing what we have received only makes sense. We have received without cost and should give freely (see Mt 10:8). This means giving our time, talent, and treasure. I'm also talking about sharing our faith and hope. 


The faith and hope I have received have made a dramatic difference in my mental health, patience, and perspective. They will matter much more at the end of my life! Why would I keep them to myself? Charity demands that I share them.


So, here's a blog.


Charity of availability reflects that I don't deserve heaven, so I don't have a right to place expectations on the path that leads me there. Rather than filling my life with my plans, I make myself available to God's will. As Jesus accepted the cross, I try to embrace whatever callings come my way. I freely received this life, I have no right to dictate how it plays out.


Sounds great! I'm terrible at it. But I have lots of thoughts to share.


Conclusion

Now, you know the worldview underlying my writing.


What about you? Have you wrestled with these questions? If not, the chances are high that the truths you take for granted are the opinions of your favorite news network, social media tribe, or political party.


What do you have faith in? What truths do you trust to shape your actions, words, and perspective? What's the foundation of your conviction?

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