FAITH , HOPE , AND LOVE
Navigating Impasse through Faith
Dr . Patricia Cooney-Hathaway
In an article entitled “ Impasse and the Dark Night ,” Carmelite Sister Constance Fitzgerald states that dark
night or impasse experiences can be both personal and societal and that both cry out for meaning . I suggest we presently are experiencing not only a dark night of the soul but also a dark night of the world as we contend with the ruptures and challenges , the fears and anxieties of the worldwide pandemic .
Sister Fitzgerald describes impasse as no way out of , no way around , no rational escape from what imprisons us . In a true impasse every normal manner of acting is brought to a standstill , every logical solution remains unsatisfying . When Sister Fitzgerald situates the personal and the societal impasse within the interpretative framework of St . John of the Cross ’ s Dark Night of the Soul , she believes one is reassured and energized to face the impasse because it is put within the reinterpreted framework of faith .
John of the Cross ’ s Interpretive Framework
Night , for John of the Cross , is a symbol of the progressive purification and transformation of the human person . John tells us that God ’ s purpose is to make the soul great , but we have to give God space to work his transformation in us . And that transformation takes place in the concrete circumstances of our lives . For each of us that involves the pandemic — the social distancing , enforced isolation , loneliness , and the daily reality of death , all of which feed into our experience of impasse or within the context of faith , a dark night .
John tells us that the antidote for the anguish and confusion of the dark night is found in the theological virtues of faith , hope , and love . These virtues come from God and direct us back to God . They are not static , but dynamic habits of the heart leading us to wholeness , health , and holiness .
As a response to the challenges facing us , this essay reflects upon the virtue of faith as it relates to the uncertainty , fear , and anxiety we feel and the need to trust that God is guiding us through this difficult time .
The Theological Virtue of Faith
Faith has an important doctrinal content which we confirm every Sunday through the recitation of the Nicene Creed , but the core of faith is not doctrine but trust in God revealed as Father , Son , and Holy Spirit . The verb “ I believe ” is a compound of the Latin noun , “ core ” ( cordis ) meaning heart , and the verb “ do ”( dare ) meaning to put , place , set on . Thus the root meaning of “ I believe ” is “ I set my heart on ,” or “ I give my heart to .” Faith invites us to set our hearts on a personal relationship with God .
One of the ways that we can enrich our friendship with God is to look to those who have given voice to their own experiences of God . In his apostolic exhortation , Evangelii Nuntiandi , Pope Paul VI states : “ Modern men and women listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers and if they listen to teachers it is because they are witnesses .” ( 41 )
Let us consider three witnesses who model a life of faith in the midst of uncertainty : a young Jewish woman , Etty Hillesum , and her faith in God ; a Carmelite sister , Therese of Lisieux , and her faith in Jesus ; and a theologian , Father Ives Congar , and his faith in the Holy Spirit . As we will see in each of their lives , faith as a virtue is not an emotion , but a choice of the will .
Etty Hillesum
Most of us who are familiar with Etty Hillesum met her through her published diary , An Interrupted Life . Etty describes herself and her family as cultural Jews . Religion was not central to their lives .
Etty begins her diary at age 27 as she explores her relationships with men and searches for a spiritual life . She was nourished by a variety of sources : Rilke , St . Augustine , Dostoyevsky , Tolstoy ,
2 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2020 / Winter 2021