Contextual reflection and application (700 words) of 

Reason and revelation

(Rausch xi-xvi, 3-13) and Language of theology (Rausch 15-27)
After reading the two chapters of the book “I Believe in God” by Thomas P.
Rausch, SJ, I learned that the book is the explanation about the creed and
affirmation of our faith. I am touched by the idea that Revelation and Faith are
connected. We cannot separate the two. Revelation for me is how the loving
God reveals Himself to humanity.
Faith is our expression of the loving God through obedience (not blind
obedience) to his commandments. In the Chapter One mentioned the two
traditional approaches to the question of God, one through reason, the other
through revelation. In chapter two, I was struck by the nature of theological
language in which God reveals himself through Christ. In my understanding,
faith is a priceless gift that God gives to each of us. Through this gift, God has
revealed himself to allow us to believe in God, even without seeing him, yet
firmly believe and living according to His Will for His blessings and salvation.
In other words, if God does not reveal Himself to us, we can never know who
He is to believe and to love.
Looking back on my experience over the past year, we lived in an
environment of pandemic. Sometimes I wonder where God is? Is there a God?
How do we know if God exists? Is He listening to the prayer that we pray
Oratio Imperata of the COVID-19 every day? Fear is the only word that
properly describes my mood. Why is God still silent? The Covid-19 pandemic
broke out, the number of people dying in the world increased dramatically every
day, did we think about him? now thinking, praying, contemplating
continuously with him as much as now. Faced with suffering and death, we see
God seemingly far away in this universe, then the question arises, where is God
and why did he leave me? Complaining is not a failure of belief, but an act of
faith. Have we ever wondered why God was silent, or it is when death makes us
afraid, confused, and in pain, it is this that reminds us of God, does his silence
leave us? Our Lord is not Silent throughout the human journey but at the same
time enduring suffering with humanity. We believe that He is still looking at us
with eyes of love and suffering with us. God always look after us nowadays
through our brothers and sisters beside us, and through the heart of many
generous people around us. As Jesus was born as a human being, Jesus himself
endured great suffering, we believe. For Christians, the striking example of
God's silence is when Jesus on the cross cries out, "My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus experienced being rejected by God.
God did not interfere. God did not take away the bitter cup and the Son's death.
So, God's silence led Jesus to a disgraceful death on the cross - a kind of
punishment reserved only for criminals. Through my experience of suffering, I
understand that when we have experienced suffering it is easy for us to
sympathize with the suffering of others. God used to suffer, that's why he shares
it with us.
In everyday life, when we encounter suffering and challenges, we often
complain, complain, and complain. Can our suffering compare to the suffering
that Jesus suffered? The 19 Covid pandemic is likely to be an historic event for
mankind. Through the pandemic, let us examine God's place in everyone's life. I
believe that suffering will pass away, each person will also have feelings, the
ways of receiving and overcoming or eliminating them are personal
experiences. But let God come into our life, master suffering because He can
draw good things from evil. God knows everything, he knows everyone's heart.
He knows our weaknesses well. He also knows what makes us afraid. Only faith
can help us overcome the pain and challenges of life. Only faith can help us
realize that God reveal himself to us and He is always there by our side, keeps
us steady and gives us strength so that we can carry the cross every day in our
lives. He is always there for us, and it is just that we really settle down to listen
to God's voice speaking to us during the painful moments of our lives.
It is clear evidence that God truly cares and loves by sending His only begotten
son. God shows us how to love. We love because He first loves us (1 John 4:
19). It also brings us into the communion with one another and a particular
concern about the basic Christian conviction of our faith that God always calls
us into the relationship. But something changed in me while reading the book.
Honestly speaking, reciting the Creed during the mass does not affect me. I just
recite it without any feeling or even without understanding it by heart. I realized
it is more than a statement. When you recite it, it is somewhat like showing your
love to God. You are entering into a relationship. That is why I am excited to
know more about the Creed as we go along with this class.