BARRIERS TO BELIEF

At the very outset of our faith walk, we learn a universal truth.  Barriers exist to believing in God. Barriers persist as we learn of, and try to believe in, God’s love.  However, barriers desist when we learn to repent… when we make amends by reanalyzing, reassessing, and repairing our relationships with ourselves, with others, and with God.  Through repentance we gain illumination, or enlightenment - the light of knowledge and understanding which allows us to see clearly the path ahead.  And what is the greatest barrier to both repentance and illumination? Pride.

To paraphrase Bishop Fulton Sheen (”Life Is Worth Living”) changing our lives is not a matter of discussion, but of decision. Some of us are learning to believe for the first time. Some are learning to strengthen our belief. Some are trying to overcome hurdles and barriers to belief which have led us to this place of starting over.  All of us have one thing in common… if we seek to know God by improving our relationships with ourselves and others through repentance, enlightenment, and humility, we are ready for the decision to believe.

We have been given a roadmap to belief, spanning faith traditions of Christianity, Buddhism, and Judaism.

To believe in God’s love is to be patient with ourselves and watchful, mindful of both our failings and our highest potential.  When we become impatient with the process, the New Testament provides the best admonition:

“Love is patient… kind… does not envy… does not boast… and is not proud.” 

-1 Corinthians 13:4

”In Buddhism feeling regret or remorse is considered an important dharma or factor of mind… formal repentance is feeling regret for our unwholesome actions of body, speech and mind, and vowing, or sincerely intending, not to repeat them.”  

-      Soto Zen priest Josho Pat Phelan, “The Practice of Repentance”

“Repentance in Buddhism means perfect openness of heart. If we open ourselves completely... we are ready to listen to the voiceless voice of the universe."

-      Zen master Katagiri Roshi, “Returning to Silence”

Judaism’s classic ethical primer explains the chronology of repentance:

·         Regretting, acknowledging and forsaking the sin;

·         Understanding its magnitude;

·         Acting with humility, confessing, and praying for atonement;

·         Refraining from committing the same sin and teaching others not to sin.

-      Rabbenu Yonah of Gerona, “Gates of Repentance”

In order to make the decision to believe, we will no doubt need to change. We know change is difficult, sometimes requiring sacrifice. Are we willing to face our fears, our doubts and our pride to allow ourselves the freedom to believe? Are we able to accept, even welcome the presence of God in our lives? Can we find a path to know His love?

Today, wherever we find ourselves at the outset of our faith walk together, let us each ask ourselves, “Where in my life do I need to repent? Can I put pride behind and humbly seek illumination on my journey to belief?” Can I muster the patience and mindfulness to follow the signposts ahead?