390th Meditation
“Someone says to me: ‘I must understand in order to believe’. I reply: ‘Believe that you may understand'” (St. Augustine).
In these words of St. Augustine we find once again that simplicity which pervades Sacred Scripture; a simplicity which enables us to arrive at the goal with certainty.
Our understanding wants to investigate everything, and then build its security on the knowledge it has acquired. However, our reason cannot be equated with supernatural faith.
The path of reason is not only very complicated, but it is also uncertain whether it will lead us to the goal, or whether it will divert us or even lead us astray on the way.
Faith, on the other hand, which is a theological virtue, is the sure way, on which the understanding can also be enlightened to grasp the truths of faith and penetrate them. This is how the Heavenly Father in His wisdom arranged it, so that through faith every person can attain salvation.
St. Augustine knew this very well. He, who wanted to investigate everything with his brilliant intellect, describes his search in these terms:
“I asked the heavens, sun, moon, stars, “Nor (say they) are we the God whom thou seekest.” And I replied unto all the things which encompass the door of my flesh: “Ye have told me of my God, that ye are not He; tell me something of Him.” And they cried out with a loud voice, “He made us”.
So it is: when the eyes of faith are opened to us, we can discover everywhere the love of our Heavenly Father. In this way, we begin to truly understand and comprehend that our life and all life around us comes from God, who has called us into existence out of love. Once we have understood this, the doors of wisdom will be opened to us, and then understanding will also take its rightful place, and we will be at peace and at ease in being able to truly understand.