The Need for Humans to Find Faith
The Need for Humans to Find Faith
“Life is a battle between faith and reason in which each feeds upon the other, drawing sustenance from it and destroying it.” Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), a famous American theologian, wrote this quotation. It is Niebuhr who understands the concept of faith and accepts it as reality. What binds faith into reality is the decision to believe.
Faith is more than a concept of belief and disbelief; it is the comfortable acceptance of truth; however, the insecure nature of belief sometimes causes faith to be forgotten and lost. Faith is not gained or acquired; it is accepted through the belief in one’s true self. Faith gives reason to one’s questions and answers, with the hope of its truth. With reason one allows one’s mind to be free from congestion of worries, with faith. It is faith which allows one to take on tasks and adventures into the unknown; it is faith which allows one to make decisions, and it is faith, which allows one to love. This faith is what confronts Antonio Marez in the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, written by Rudolfo Anaya, the godfather of Chicano literature.
In the novel Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio Marez is the protagonist of this coming of age adventure. Antonio is a young boy who at the tender age of six (through age seven) is faced with many challenges and temptations in his life. All of these obstacles deal with the concepts of faith and belief in what is right and what is wrong. Antonio grows up with the religion of Catholicism from his mother and is later exposed to the concept of dualism from his friend Cico.
Ever since Antonio can remember, his mother has taught him to have faith and belief in God. His mother, Maria Marez y Luna is a strong Catholic who preaches faith in God, whenever and however she wants. Antonio doesn’t choose to have faith in God out of self-will but with his mother’s word. For Antonio to have faith, it must not be fed. It must come from his heart. Then the meaning of faith will be complete and accepted with understanding and reason. The novel then takes a course of action where Antonio experiences several deaths. These deaths cause Antonio...