On the Far Side of Reason

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

     Jesus said to Nicodemus:
     “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the           desert, 
     so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 
     so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
     For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 
     so that everyone who believes in him might not perish 
     but might have eternal life.
     For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 
     but that the world might be saved through him.
     Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, 
     but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, 
     because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
     And this is the verdict,
     that the light came into the world, 
     but people preferred darkness to light,
     because their works were evil.
     For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
     and does not come toward the light, 
     so that his works might not be exposed.
     But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, 
     so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

          Before my first year teaching the Leadership & Faith elective course at St. Michael high school, I brought my proposed curriculum outline to Fr. Reuben Dykes to get his perspective on some of the topics that I struggled with myself.  When we got to the “Faith and Reason” section of the course, I asked him how he thought I should present this concept to the high school seniors I would be teaching, and he replied, “There is no faith without reason.”  

          Today, as I consider Nicodemus’ encounter with Christ in this Gospel, I am reminded of that simple truth – there is no faith without reason.  Many of us have heard this story before, and if you’re like me and watched The Chosen during quarantine, you also have a pretty good mental picture of its setting. Nicodemus visits Jesus at nighttime, under the cover of darkness, acknowledging that Jesus is from God, but caught off-guard by the contrast between his own understanding of who the Messiah would be and the man before him, Jesus.  Twice Nicodemus asks the question, “how,” to Christ, desperately trying to apply reason to the seemingly contradictory truths that Jesus offers him, culminating in the glory of salvation through the suffering of the Cross.  

          Our faith is not unreasonable; it is not a set of superstitious beliefs that are below rational thought (although that doesn’t stop me from wearing a lucky shirt on gameday).  No, our faith is beyond reason; it is a surrender to the revelation – the insane revelation – of Christ’s divinity, beauty, mercy and promises of eternal life through relationship with Him.  

          The choice, then, for Nicodemus as well as for us is this: to remain in the darkness of pure reason, desperately trying to answer the “hows” of life with the observable, physical and understandable, or to surrender on the far side of reason. It is not bad or unfaithful to ask the questions of “how” or “why.”  St. John Paul II declares in Fides et Ratio that “driven by the desire to discover the ultimate truth of existence, human beings seek to acquire those universal elements of knowledge which enable them to understand themselves better and to advance in their own self-realization. These fundamental elements of knowledge spring from the wonder awakened in them by the contemplation of creation: human beings are astonished to discover themselves as part of the world, in a relationship with others like them, all sharing a common destiny.” 

          This Lent, let us allow ourselves to wonder and to surrender to the mysteries of love, life and meaning, letting the light of Truth illuminate us that we may come know and believe “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” 

 
About the Author: Delaney Campo grew up on the Northshore of New Orleans and moved to Baton Rouge once she began college at Louisiana State University.  While she dearly misses the quiet of the pine trees in Covington, Baton Rouge has been a beautiful place for her to encounter the Lord and grow as His disciple.  Since a reconversion to the Catholic faith in college, she has served in several ministry capacities around the diocese including Edge Coordinator at Our Lady of Mercy and campus minister at St. Michael High School.  She  loves encountering the Lord in the daily things: conversations with her husband, dinner with friends, walks, music and books.  
Coffee Order: At home I drink it black, but I usually order a lavender oat milk latte when I got out (I know I’m bougie).
Favorite Saint (at the moment): Bl. Franz Jagerstatter - I’m still not over The Hidden Life movie on his life that I watched in May of 2020. I appreciate the raw holiness that he and his wife exemplify. He inspires me to live daily prayer!
Top Three Songs You’re Listening To: “If We Were Vampires” by Jason Isbell, “The Fire” by The Avett Brothers and “This Too Shall Last” by Anderson East
Favorite Song from the Gather Hymnal (aka your favorite traditional church song): “Come Thou Fount” or “How Deep The Father’s Love” (but the King’s Kaleidoscope version)

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics


The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week. If you are interested in writing a reflection, please email Nicole at [email protected] .