Seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling... our senses are essential abilities for living. It is no exaggeration to say they are the channels through which we perceive the world. Senses go beyond mere physical functions; they enable us to form relationships with our neighbors and the world around us. But did you know that our faith also possesses a sense?
In the *Dogmatic Constitution on the Church* (*Lumen Gentium*), the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council explained that "the holy people of God shares also in Christ’s prophetic office," noting that all believers possess a "supernatural sense of faith." They further affirmed that this sense of faith is not limited to the clergy but is also possessed by the laity.
The sense of faith is an ability that allows us to discern "what truly belongs to God." The Church teaches that because all believers—having been anointed by the Holy Spirit through baptism—possess this sense of faith, the entire People of God "cannot err in matters of belief." It is through this “sense of the faith”—manifested when there is universal agreement among everyone from bishops to the laity regarding matters of faith and morals—that we are enabled to fully uphold, understand, and apply our faith to our lives (cf. *Lumen Gentium*, 12).
Of course, this does not mean that the sense of the faith did not exist prior to the Council. From its earliest days, the Church has believed that the Holy Spirit guides the entire People of God, enabling them to preserve and profess within the Church the faith received from the Apostles. The tradition of synods—aimed at discerning and upholding the apostolic faith in the Holy Spirit—is rooted in this very belief. The concept of *synodality*, which the Church has recently emphasized, is also deeply connected to this sense of the faith.
The phrase “universal agreement of the People of God” might conjure up the idea of a majority vote—suggesting that the opinion held by the greatest number of believers is the correct one. However, the sense of the faith cannot be dismissed as merely the opinion of the majority. Indeed, Scripture frequently shows us instances where those who rightly lived out their faith were a minority rather than a majority.
The sense of the faith is a matter of "faith". An opinion formed without faith cannot be said to stem from the sense of the faith. Furthermore, the sense of the faith does not conflict with the Magisterium; the Church teaches that “guided by that sense of the faith which is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God... receives the teaching of the true Magisterium” ("Lumen Gentium", 12).
The sense of the faith present in each of us is also described as an “instinct of faith.” It means that when it is difficult to grasp God’s will through intellectual reasoning alone, we are able to perceive it instinctively. Because it is a sense akin to "instinct" or "intuition," one often does not consciously perceive this "sense of faith" in daily life. How, then, can we awaken this dormant sense of faith?
The International Theological Commission of the Holy See emphasizes that the "sense of faith of the individual believer" depends on the level of sanctification in one's life, highlighting "above all, the growth of charity." In other words, the habit of faith expressed through acts of love cultivates this sense of faith. Engaging in church life—such as through ceaseless prayer, participation in the liturgy, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and involvement in the Church’s mission and service—also serves as an excellent way to heighten one's sense of faith.
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