Crises of Faith and Morality

I just read an article on Zenit about a book published on the theological thoughts of the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

And one key concept mentioned was that "faith in Jesus Christ has different moments". And as I have been reading up on faith recently, I guess it's quite relevant to me at this moment.

"in the first place, faith in Jesus Christ is a gift"

I can relate to that part. Faith isn't something that we can earn, or get through our own efforts. As I have learnt on my own journey. Not sure if I have put my own "conversion" story in this blog yet. Must go and find, if not must put it in.

"in the second place, that gift helps us to stay with Christ"

Quite obvious... or maybe I don't really grasp the full meaning of this statement yet.

"in the third place, it becomes the way of understanding reality"

"Cardinal Ratzinger very much emphasizes knowledge of the faith which helps us to understand God, ourselves and the world; it is different from scientific knowledge." This is something that I am becoming more convinced of. Especially of late. It's only through faith that we can comprehend what God has planned for us. And only through faith, that we can see how these moral values all makes sense. Like taking sex for example(cos we had this discussion recently) given current society, other than our faith, what else is stopping us from having casual sex. Contraceptives, the media, all make it ok. But only when we look at the fruits of it, then we realise that God's way is indeed wise. But we have tried to seperate our faith from our morals. Faith becomes just believing that God exists, and that He is our saviour. But as the next point shows. It is more than that.

"in the fourth place, faith implies a free response"
here is where Cardinal Ratzinger specifies the Christian way of life, the following of Christ; and a way of advancing on that path is the morality he proposes.
The present Benedict XVI bases the following of Christ on what he calls the ethics of faith. For him, Christian morality must be founded on faith in Christ which stems from an encounter with him, not only as a personal experience but also as a reality full of meaning.

And this is the hardest part about our faith in Christ. To respond, freely and fully. To allow Him to transform us. And like we celebrated in yesterday's Corpus Christi liturgy, to become one with the Body that we receive. Hmm...maybe that is the meaning of the second point.