Abe Alba

In his Pritzker Prize acceptance speech, the Mexican genius Luis Barragán spoke words that forever changed my understanding of both ancient and modern architecture. He addressed religion and myth, asserting that without religious spirituality and a mythical foundation, the Egyptian and Mexican pyramids, Greek temples, and Gothic cathedrals would never have come to exist.

Pontius Pilate retorted,“What is truth?”. In a world that can feel so confusing, that might not be a trivial question; maybe it isn’t even uncommon or rude. In the same way, I am quite sure many believers wonder sometimes—perhaps more often than they care to admit—a similar question: What is faith?. What is it exactly, I mean? How does it feel? What is it like? Where does it come from?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” the Bible says. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul mentioned in his letter to the Romans that “faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word about Christ”. This casts light into our shadows; yet, how can you have confidence and assurance, or even the will to listen, in the hours of despair? Especially when you do believe, but you have no clue if you believe enough, or how can you believe or trust more, just a little bit more, or even a little better?

It is a fact: a drowning man cannot learn to swim. Preparation for difficult times must be made during times of peace. Prevention is worth a thousand times more and costs a hundred times less than correction. Working on our faith on a daily basis is a formidable help; yet, the biblical account tells us that the Israelites were led out of Egypt with signs, wonders and mighty acts of judgement and still they failed to believe the Lord would lead them into the Promised Land. Consequently, a whole generation perished in the desert.

On the other hand, sometimes faith is so intrinsic that we take things for granted and become ungrateful. What assures us we will keep breathing tomorrow? What assures us our eyes will still see? That our liver and kidneys will continue to detoxify our body from the latest binge? Or that our purchasing power will remain the same—or even grow—over the next thirty years when we commit to a mortgage?

What is faith? I mean my question. How can we hold on to it through despair? How can we cherish it during the good times? I am sure these questions are common and frequent among many believers. I once heard that we Mexicans do not merely use color, we live through it. I cannot define it, but I am certain that faith is not something that comes in handy; faith is something we must live through.

How about you? What is faith to you? How do you live it? How do you exercise it?

Abe Alba