Old Faith Come Alive

For me, faith has always been there. It was a part of me, my experience, my life. A simple fact of my reality.

I remember my Great-Grandpa Romero and his commitment to praying the rosary daily and the little chapel he had in his house. I remember sitting next to Great-Grandpa and Grandma Lopez at Mass on Sundays. I remember my family gathered around Great Grandma Lopez, kids playing as she sat peacefully in her chair with a blanket praying prayers on the back of holy cards, dying from cancer.

My parents made sure that we attended Mass every Sunday or the Saturday vigil, no matter the inconvenience it may have had on our weekend plans. It was tradition, and with time and some tender interference in my heart by the Lord, it became my own, real and personal. It is, however, in many ways, old. Old news, that is.

For me, attending Mass is hardly a new and exciting experience, and I can’t remember a time when it was. I’ve heard the Gospels and most of Holy Scripture many times. And though my faith has grown, been tested, shaken, and strengthened with time, it is not new.

One of the greatest gifts to myself, and I would argue for the Church, is new faith. Wow, it is powerful, beautiful, and inspiring. Witnessing others come to know God, encountering Him in Holy Scripture, or in the sacraments, for the first time is pure gift. It never fails to fill me up and remind me of the gift that is my old faith.

One time I witnessed this new faith was in a Bible study, when the other women realized with shock that Saul and Paul were the same person, transformed by Christ Jesus. Saul, that guy we have been reading about who was persecuting and killing Christians, was also St. Paul, the man who wrote a large chunk of the New Testament and died for the faith.

Suddenly, I see. My old eyes are given new sight. Another time, I was moved to tears listening to a man in rehab who is clinging to Holy Scripture to sustain him because he believes in the mercy and unconditional love of Jesus. We read Jesus’ parables of leaving the 99 in search of the one lost sheep and rejoicing, the woman who searches diligently for her lost coin, and the prodigal son. It is as if I am hearing Jesus’ words for the first time, too.

Old faith has its place, but if we aren’t careful, it can become not only old, but dead, irrelevant, merely going through the motions. The solution may be quite simple: never let your old faith stop encountering and encouraging new faith, because the new faith will return the favor, and both will flourish.

All this has me thinking, maybe part of this call to evangelize, to spread the Gospel, to serve the poor is to keep this old faith of ours, of mine, alive. To ensure that over 2,000 years of faith and tradition continues to be kindled in our hearts.

There is something inspiring about our old faith that, despite its many years, is still living. Perhaps, that fountain of youth is found by simply sharing what we have been given and allowing the new to breathe its youth into us.

Alexis joined FMC in 2021 and currently serves in Peru.