Faith in Hard Times

Faith in Hard Times

If someone close to us loses their faith it hits us in the gut, because that is where we hold dear the faith that they have lost. My parents would say, “We don’t know what we would have done without our faith,” when older siblings set aside the religious beliefs and practices that they grew up around. While there was anger and frustration in their words, I heard primarily their concern.

The writer of Hebrews recalls today what faith provided Abraham. My parents’ words highlighted the necessity of faith in their lives when within a year’s time they gave up their farm, spent months in the hospital with their fourth newborn child, and held out hope that my father could find a job (and house) in town before winter set in and their fifth child was born.

How have hard times affected your faith?

—Fr. Chris Manahan, S.J. serves as Director of Jesuit Retreat House, Oshkosh, WI.