Day 21: Believing God

In faith, the human intellect and will co-operate with divine grace: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace." CCC 155

Today's reading was a bit short but meaty. It is about faith, believing in God, and giving our "free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed". Faith is a "gift from God" that is "possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit" who is God. Believing and trusting in God is also an "authentically human act". As someone who was born & raised an American citizen, the Catechism also reminds us that trusting in God is not contrary to freedom or our human reason. In this modern age, we tend to view "freedom" as the right to do as we please, as long as we don't harm or violate the rights of others and truth can only be found through "reason". I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol I puts it in response to this:

Obeying God does not strip us of freedom; rather it is an exercise of our freedom. Freedom is not the ability to do whatever we want. It is the power to do what we ought. If God exists and is good, then I ought to have faith in him and choose to follow him.