Faith Is Not a Fairy Tale: Saints Suffered for the Sake of Their Faith

 

I saw a video on Reels about a man interviewing a teenage girl. He asked her, “Do you believe in God?” She replied, “I’m an atheist, and I don’t believe in God.” The interviewer then argued that if she looked around, she could witness the work of God. Everything we see, such as the sun, the moon, the earth, the ocean, streams, beautiful flowers, and many other things, points to the beauty and order of creation. He said that it is difficult to believe that all these things are merely a coincidence because they appear to be wonderfully designed. Then the girl asked a common question: “Who created God?”

This is a sincere question that many people ask, especially those who struggle to believe in God. The Catholic Church teaches that God is not a created being. He is eternal, without beginning or end, and He is the Creator of all that exists. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the eternal God gave a beginning to all that exists outside of himself” and that “he alone is Creator” (CCC 290). In other words, God was not created; He is the source of creation itself.

I would also like to share my understanding. If God does not exist, then we must ask why we have Jesus Christ and the testimony about Him. When we read the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we find clear accounts of the life, teachings, suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Catholic faith teaches that Sacred Scripture was written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This means that God truly speaks through Scripture, while also making use of the writers’ own abilities and historical circumstances. The Bible is not a product of luck or coincidence; it reveals God’s plan of salvation, which reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ.

Although some non-believers do not accept the accounts of the disciples about Jesus Christ, I believe with all my heart that the Gospels are true. If the disciples had known that their testimony about Jesus was a lie, it would be difficult to explain why they were willing to suffer and even die for that testimony. Many saints also endured suffering, persecution, and even martyrdom because of their faith in Christ. Their witness powerfully shows the sincerity and depth of their belief.

Therefore, with all my heart, I believe that what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ is true. The Church professes that Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Scripture tells us, “All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be” (John 1:3), and “in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible” (Colossians 1:16). These passages support the Christian belief that Jesus is not merely a teacher or imaginary figure, but the eternal Son of God through whom all things were made.

I hope that when you are in a moment when everything seems to be going wrong, or when you feel that you have suffered enough, you will remember the saints who gave up comfort, security, and even their lives for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ. Their lives remind us that faith is not only something we speak about, but something we live.

God loves you. Jesus Himself promised, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus Christ sent His disciples to spread the Good News, to proclaim that God truly exists, that He is with us, and that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. This is the hope of the Christian faith: that those who remain faithful to God will share in His eternal life.