Oscar Gilroy

Who is worthy of our final, absolute allegiance and loyalty? Who is qualified to lead us in and through everything? Who is the master of our lives? No person, no group, no nation or earthly power… only our King.

These words are from the late Baptist preacher S. M. Lockridge.

This is one of those occasions where the ability to do the South Asian ‘what to do?’-face comes in handy.

An easy, intellectually dishonest way to dismiss an argument coming from a believer is that his argument is ‘merely’ based on faith. Sometimes, this flippant rebuttal is aimed at positions whose foundations are in no way theological, and in those instances, it is clear that one is dealing with a narrow mind armed with rhetorical ear plugs. At other times, this objection is raised against the entire religious mindset. Once this point in the conversation is reached, continuing on can be quite futile. But what it too easy for both believers and nonbelievers to forget is that both regularly engage a capacity of the will that is essential for faith: Trust. The trust required by faith is the same as the trust required by love. Most people know what that trust feels like, and know that having it is not an abandonment of reason.

In the videos that follow, the always masterful Fr. Barron explains the relationship of trust to a growing faith, using the analogy of falling in love with a person. They may not instantly change anyone’s mind on the respect that a faithful intellect deserves, but they do invite the honest skeptic to consider that the trust demanded of the believer is something that they have both experienced and given at some point.

Commentary from Fr. Barron on what Faith is and what Faith is not

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