Test of Faith

Mastering the skills of discipleship by undergoing testing

02/12/2018

James 1:1-11 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.

Life is a test, and most of the people I know do not like to take tests. Do you? But a test is a good indicator of whether or not you have mastered a certain skill. Anyone who has taken piano lessons knows that performing recitals are part of the learning process. If you cannot tickle the ivories in front of others, you have not made progress in becoming the next Beethoven. You do not possess piano playing skills. A priest friend of mine, Fr. Leo Patalinghug, had his cooking skills put to the test on the popular television show, “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” and he beat Bobby! Talk about a pressure cooker. No one can earn the salary of a professional – a certified public accountant, a medical doctor, an attorney – without undergoing rigorous testing. In other words, it is not until you have been placed in the crucible of a test that your real metal shows, and those who cannot stand the heat better get out of the kitchen. No one really enjoys being tested, but no one can really avoid being tested if they want to demonstrate mastery of certain skills.

What is true in the natural order of things also often proves true in the supernatural order, especially when it comes to faith and discipleship. St. James insists that our faith, too, must be tested if we want to master the basic skills of a Christian disciple. He writes: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James suggests we not just grit our teeth and get the test over with as quickly as we can, but even that we find joy in it. St. James is optimistic about trials and tests because he knows faith that is merely lip-service (untested faith) is useless, which he goes on to elaborate extensively in the rest of the letter.

His entire letter serves as a healthy and helpful counter-point to St. Paul who emphasized the priority and primacy of faith – rightly so! – especially in his letters to the Romans and Galatians. Nonetheless, both James and Peter knew well that no one deserves the title of disciple of Jesus without carrying a cross, that is, without being tested. No one masters the skills of discipleship without a test of faith.

But there is at least one respect in which the supernatural order differs from the natural order of things. The hardest tests of faith do not come when things are hard, but rather when things are easy; our faith is not truly tested in times of persecution, but rather in periods of peace and prosperity. That may sound counter-intuitive, but think about it. Do you recall what happened in the days following the attacks of September 11? Churches, synagogues, mosques, were all packed with worshipers whose faith had been renewed precisely because of the horrendous attacks. We clutch our faith close to our breast in times of adversity. Most of the time, persecution is an easy test of faith to pass.

But I believe the real test of faith comes in times of peace and prosperity; that is when it is difficult to be a good disciple. Archbishop Fulton Sheen had the habit of making the Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament every day. He opined that the hardest time to make the Holy Hour was not when you are busy, but when you are on vacation. When you have all the time in the world, it feels hard to find any time for God. People often skip Mass on vacation. In peace and prosperity we meet the true test of faith, and we do not all pass so easily.

My suggestion to you would be to put your own faith to the test daily, and do not wait for God to test you. It is always easier to test yourself. Pray on vacation, read a good spiritual book, go to confession, be more generous to church or charity, forgive someone against whom you hold a grudge, reduce your alcohol consumption, visit family or friends in the hospital or nursing home. When we put our own faith to the test, we almost begin to find joy in being tested, as St. James said. And joy in testing is one of the skills of discipleship.

Praised be Jesus Christ!