The Ventures of Faith - Fr. Evan Koop

Fr. Evan Koop, instructor of dogmatic theology at St. Paul Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Minnesota reflects on Newman’s classic sermon, “The Ventures of Faith”. Fr. Koop points out that Newman’s primary point in the sermon is “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. We must take a risk in our relationship with Christ. Faith is a venture. That venture changes the way we live. We invest in something now to gain something in the future. We take a risk for an uncertain benefit. Our faith in Christ is meant to be a venture – it costs us something. We commit our lives to Christ out of love for him without knowing where it will lead us. We trust in God who cannot deceive or be deceived. We can only enter into God’s way of knowing through our trust in Him. Faith is not a leap. It is a venture. We act now even though we don’t see the end. 

Jesus accepts the desire of James and John in a way they don’t understand at all. He is wooing them, and He elicits the desire that can lead them to things that they never imagined. He invites them to say yes to Him and then He will slowly reveal His plan to them. Faith is a yes to Jesus wherever it will lead us. It is not a yes to a particular outcome. God is asking for an unqualified yes from each of us because it is not based on some understanding of God’s plan for me, but it is based on my love for and trust in God Himself. Faith is not a logical inference it rests in trust. Still without knowing, we trust.

The constant concern for Newman is Christianity becoming a “respectable” religion – a “beige, suburban” Catholicism – a Christianity that is simply helps to living a good ethical life and contributing to society. It is a Christianity that makes no demands on me. However, Newman tells us that Christianity does make demands. It does cost me something. What have we given Christ on the love of His promise? Like the wedding or ordination day the couple or religious have no idea what they just got themselves into. They are full of enthusiasm because they have fallen deeply in love with their spouse and/or Christ and His Church. “For better or for worse” is a venture. James and John had a sense that if they follow Jesus, He would sustain them. There is a trust that Christ will give us the grace as needed - our daily bread will be given when needed. The venture is when we send everything ahead of us to a new place out of joyful hope. Joy and freedom are present when we release ourselves from the tangled things of this world and all of our hopes and desires are stored in the invisible world. Faith is a storing up of everything that we love, all of our desires and goods, in the invisible world.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site.