Sunday Breakfast: Radical Belief

"They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.’”— John 4:42

Have you ever tried to share an experience with someone, only to feel like you’re speaking from two completely different planes of understanding? You try to connect from another angle to combat confusion but still fall short, asking yourself, “Could I explain this differently?” But trying to replicate the experience through words, phrasing, or parables leaves us exhausted, often feeling like we’ve failed at connecting with them. You think to yourself, this person would benefit if only they could see it my way. But is that the role we are meant to play in matters of faith? Is it our job to convince someone to see what we see in our own minds? If iron sharpens iron, what is our role to play? What makes the belief we know real for them?

What stands out to me in today’s Gospel reading is the Samaritans’ self-revelation from experiencing Jesus firsthand: “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe…” Some experiences in life are better received through our own eyes. While we can certainly learn from others who have gone before us, to truly make faith our own—to let it take root—there must be a personal stake planted. Think back to your first love, the first time you saw snow, or the first taste of a real honeycomb. Reading about love only portrays a relationship in limited dimensions. Witnessing water fall from the sky becomes entirely new when a silent snowflake slowly descends on your tongue. Nothing is as sweet as a sample of fresh honey from an apiary. In the same manner, like Paul, we must meet Christ ourselves on the road to Damascus. No one else can walk that road for us. They can go ahead of us or walk beside us, but ultimately, the path is ours to travel. This is what builds a bridge between our head to our heart.

“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again…”

—Acts 9:18

Don’t get me wrong—this isn’t some hidden knowledge or secret to uncover. We may catch glimpses of this experience in a kind word or deed. Christ's face could show up in a song or an embrace. But unless we open our eyes to meet Christ, we can only stand and gaze from afar. The soil of the heart can be tilled and planted, but only the Harvester can reap what is sown. As a result, the good fruit that is grown is not done by sheer willpower. Good fruit cannot be grown in a microwave, nor does a crop flourish without time, sunlight, and good soil. We can water the seed we scatter, fertilize it, and steward the land where it is planted— but we cannot force a mature stalk out of the ground. The process of growth and flourishing is a partnership between us and something greater than ourselves. In the same way, we must yield to the truth that we cannot rip the scales from the other’s eyes. It is when they, we, find ourselves on the road to Damascus, and the risen Christ meets us there, that scales fall freely from our eyes, and our faith is made flesh.

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