HAS TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED…

This is a very common phrase; I have heard it said by many people. I myself have repeated it countless times in the form of mockery, excuse, disbelief, challenge, or simply to make someone angry. Especially when I joke with my friends or even when, in my student days, someone said to me, “I’m going to beat you in the face”. I answered, “It has to be seen to be believed”.

Humans are living beings that develop a way of life attached to many customs or traditions. We repeat them because we learned them from our parents, relatives, teachers, or friends. And the normal thing is that we transmit them to our children, who in turn teach them to their children, and thus the tradition continues from generation to generation.

When we inherit a tradition from childhood, we constantly repeat it to the degree that it becomes fundamental for the development of our interaction with other people and our coexistence with the world in which we live. Therefore, we do not question its nature or origin or whether it is good or bad; we simply abide by what we learned as children. Because it was what our parents did, because it is what keeps us united to our roots, because it is part of the culture of our countries, because it makes us happy, and because we simply learned to live with them and practice them out of habit, conviction, religion, or love.

Currently, with the rise of revolution caused by social networks, any news or tradition becomes a polemic. Since all people want to give their opinion or criticize the events that have occurred, they classify them as “sins, offenses, racism, ignorance, fun, happiness, discovery, etc.” And the more people think about it, the more reality is distorted.

We live in a world where each person is an intelligent being endowed with the ability to discern good from evil. With our own will to make it or break it, accept or reject any tradition in our lives, we have the ability to learn to respect other people’s beliefs and the right to have our own traditions respected.

Sometimes it is necessary to stop acting out of habit and automatically following a tradition to learn to develop faith, hope, and charity. These are the attributes that help us find happiness, strength, economic stability, peace, and love. During the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, various activities are celebrated around the world by tradition or custom inherent to each town, city, state, or country. But there are two memorable traditions in my life that are celebrated almost all over the world, Christmas and Holy Week, which includes Resurrection Sunday or Easter.

During Christmas or Easter, Jesus is vehemently remembered, along with the sacrifice he made for the salvation of the world. At the end of November, all of December, and part of January, Christmas is remembered with many preparations, decorations, visits, special meals, and gifts, but Christmas is only one day (December 25). And it is on that day that the world celebrates the birth of the child, Jesus. Something similar happens during Holy Week, except that the whole week remembers Jesus, but only on Sunday is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ celebrated.

In summary, I can say that there are only two days of the year (according to the traditions I know) that are specific to celebrating the arrival of Jesus into our lives.

But what about the other three hundred and sixty-three days of the year? Do we keep remembering him vehemently or with love? In the Bible, in the book of John, chapter twenty, we read:

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seem me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Have you ever held a baby in your arms? And then showed him for the first time a flower, a leaf, the light of the sun, the stars, a fish, a cat, a dog, or a fruit? If you have, have you noticed the wonder in the baby’s eyes as he discovers a tiny piece of God’s creation? Babies almost always smile when discovering something new. Because, although they cannot remember it in their minds, the purity of their Spirit testifies to them that before they were born, they had already seen all creation in a spiritual way. And that their desire to come to earth has been fulfilled, so they can already feel, touch, and live in this earthly world.

If each one of us could see the world as a child sees it, with the transparency of his innocent gaze and the integrity of a heart brimming with gratitude for the opportunity he received to come and live in this world, we could develop the absolute faith that we need to move the mountains that stand as obstacles in our lives. We could hold on to the source of living water that gives us life in abundance. Every day of our lives, we would be able to BELIEVE and ACCEPT Jesus Christ of our own free will rather than by tradition or custom. We would discover that Jesus Christ LIVES and that he is REAL, even though we cannot physically see him by our side.

Because if we learn to BELIEVE without SEEING, we can discover that there is no better business partner than Jesus Christ to help us prosper financially. We can discover that in the solitude of our afflictions, he will fill our hearts with comfort. We can discover that when we get the faint feeling that we lose all energy and the strength of our bodies vanishes, Jesus Christ will give us his strong arm as a support to stand up again. We can discover that when we make mistakes or sin, he will free us from the slavery of error, purifying us through FORGIVENESS.

Because to stop being Unbelievers and become Believers, we must defeat the world—but not as superheroes but as imperfect beings willing to be humble, obedient, and faithful to God. Because in order to fully develop the individual potential that each of us possesses to achieve success in everything we plan, we must overcome the fear of criticism, making mistakes, or changing the inappropriate habits that prevent us from progressing.

Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” Because this is how Faith is born and Hope develops, thanks to Jesus Christ having overcome death and RISEN; one day we will all live as Eternal Families, Together Forever. We can cease to be unbelievers and become Believers by eliminating from our vocabulary the famous phrase “has to be seen to be believed”.