As children we are taught to say our prayers. We are enthralled by the stories of the miracles that Jesus performed, the walking on the water, the stories of the first Christians. We become part of a family, a community which shares the rituals and the customs of belief. We ware green on St. Patrick’s Day. Might this be the beginning of a faith that is a part of our lives as much as any other activity? We share in the faith that other adults give us as our heritage.

But how does our personal faith begin – that faith that cannot be taken away without negating part of who we are? Somewhere along the way this God, who is the source of our life, shows up. An experience of God could come in various ways: through our intellect as the uncaused cause, through an experience of love in which we know that we are loved –this love might come in the midst of disappointments, by the beauty all around us etc. In other words it is a gift. When it comes we know that we are touching the infinite. We feel that we are no longer in charge. It is then that our personal relationship with God, the Christ, can begin.

What was the faith of your childhood like?

What caused your faith to grow beyond childhood?

Do you have a personal relationship with God (Christ)?

                                                                                     O God, I believe, help my unbelief.