Fr. Rodney Kissinger, S.J. has been a Jesuit for over 69 years and a priest for over 58 years. His seasoned spirituality is the fruit of more than 60 years of making and giving the Spiritual Exercises in all of its formats to priests, religious and laity. It is presented not in the jargon of academia but in a language that everyone can understand. He is neither “old breed” nor “new breed,” he is just “half breed.” Having studied both the old theology and the new theology he is convinced that the continuity is so great that you cannot understand the new until you have mastered the old.

 

THE LEAP OF FAITH

There is something daring and courageous about faith. It is called the “leap of faith,” a leap into the dark, into the unknown. Faith is not the conclusion of a syllogism. It is not subject to proof. Faith is not against reason, it is above reason. But faith is reasonable in the sense that we must have a reason for our faith. Otherwise, our faith could be a purely subjective illusion. We need reasons also to justify the fact that we believe in Jesus and not in Buddha or someone else.

These reasons are called “signs of credibility.” But the sign is not the reality. The signs for Christianity are more than sufficient but they are not compelling. In face of the evidence that 2+2=4 we are not free. We are compelled to believe. In face of the evidence for Christianity we are still free to reject it or accept it. The evidence demands a courageous “leap of faith” into the dark, into the unknown. As a convert I know all about that “leap of faith.” I have experienced it also in the RCIA with the catechumens and candidates.

We are all converts! You may think that you are a “cradle Catholic,” who has been baptized as an infant and you may have lived your early life under the faith of your parents, but the day comes when you have to stand on our own two feet and make that “leap of faith” personally. Until you do that you are a Catholic by association and not by conviction and commitment. CLICK HERE for the Entire Homily