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St. Thomas Aquinas (theologian of the 13th century) said faith was the assent given by the mind (intellect) to what cannot be seen or proven but is taken on the word and authority of another. The ascertainment of faith is plain and simple: You have faith if you trust the word of someone else. When you take what someone says on faith, you believe in what the other person is telling you even though you haven’t personally witnessed it, may not understand it, or may find it difficult to believe. In other words, faith means agreeing with, believing in, trusting something — without cold, hard evidence — that you can’t know or comprehend on your own.

So far, faith doesn’t sound all that different from believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, but having faith is a bit more complicated. Having faith means being able to live with unanswered questions — sometimes, tough ones. For example, why does evil exist in the world? Why do people still go to war? And what about the existence of terrorism, disease, and crime? Faith doesn’t answer all these questions. (Some people think that the answer “It’s God’s will” suffices, but it doesn’t.) Faith, however, gives you the strength and ability to endure unanswerable questions. Instead of providing a set of solutions to painful and complicated enigmas, faith provides the means to persevere.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, a book defining the official teachings of the Catholic Church, has this to say about faith:

 “Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed.” (150)

 “Faith is a personal act — the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself. But faith isn’t an isolated act. No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone.” (166)

To Catholics, faith is a supernatural virtue given to human beings from God. What we do or don’t do with that faith is totally up to us. God offers it freely to anyone and everyone, but it must be freely received as well. No one can be forced to have or accept faith. And when it’s presented, each individual responds differently — at different levels, at different times, and in different ways. Some reject it, some ignore it, and some treat it casually. Others cherish their faith deeply. As the adage goes: For those who believe, no explanation is necessary, and for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.