October 10, 2012 // Uncategorized

The Year of Faith has begun

Todays Catholic

The Tess and Mitch Steffen family, shown above, of St. John the Baptist Parish, Fort Wayne, reviews the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Their sons, Nick and Alex, also use the catechism in theology classes at Bishop Luers High School. Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades encourages all Catholics in the diocese to have a copy of the catechism in their homes. “It is a great compilation of Sacred Tradition and Church doctrine. It is filled with Scripture and the spiritual heritage of the saints of the Church, helping us to enter more deeply into the Christian mystery,” he writes in his column. Bishop Rhoades suggests reading the catechism as good exercise for the Year of Faith.

On Thursday, October 11^th, the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the Year of Faith began here in our diocese and throughout the world. Thanks to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, we have this opportunity for a renewal, rediscovery, deepening, and celebration of the precious gift of our Catholic faith.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, faith is defined as “both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed. It is this revelation of God which the Church proposes for our belief, and which we profess in the Creed, celebrate in the sacraments, live by right conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity…, and respond to in our prayer of faith. Faith is both a theological virtue given by God as grace, and an obligation which flows from the first commandment of God” (CCC 26, 142, 150, 1814, 2087).

The Year of Faith is a good time to take our faith to the next level. It is an opportunity to study the faith in order to deepen our understanding of what we profess in the Creed. You may wish to consider making a resolution to read the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church, perhaps a few pages each day throughout the year. In the Apostolic Letter announcing the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict wrote:

In order to arrive at a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, all can find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensable tool. It is one of the most important fruits of the Second Vatican Council. … The Year of Faith will have to see a concerted effort to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith that receives its systematic synthesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I encourage all Catholics in our diocese to have a copy of the Catechism in your homes. It is a great compilation of Sacred Tradition and Church doctrine. It is filled with Scripture and the spiritual heritage of the saints of the Church, helping us to enter more deeply into the Christian mystery.

Twenty years ago, Blessed John Paul II wrote that “In reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church we can perceive the wonderful unity of the mystery of God, his saving will, as well as the central place of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, sent by the Father, made man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be our Savior. Having died and risen, Christ is always present in his Church, especially in the sacraments; he is the source of our faith, the model of Christian conduct, and the Teacher of our prayer.”

In the Catechism, we find the wealth of teaching that the Church has received, safeguarded, and handed on these past 2000 years. Blessed John Paul II promulgated this Catechism on October 11, 1992, on the 30^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. What a gift it has been to millions of Catholics! Catechesis in the Church at all levels (adult, youth, and children) has improved tremendously in recent years, thanks to the gift of this excellent compendium of Catholic doctrine.

As important as knowledge of the faith is, we must also recognize that faith is also trusting obedience to God. It involves not only the assent of our intellect to revealed truth, but also the assent of our will, accepting the content of revelation as true. Faith consists in an intimate relationship with Christ. It involves trust in the Son of God who became man for our salvation.

During this Year of Faith, it is good not only to seek to grow in our understanding of the truths of our faith, but also to grow in our relationship with God. As Pope Benedict has said: “God is not far from us, he is not somewhere out in the universe, somewhere that none of us can go. He has pitched his tent among us: in Jesus he became one of us, flesh and blood just like us. This is his ‘tent.’ In Jesus, it is God who ‘camps’ in our midst.” As the Holy Father often says: Jesus is the Face of God. “The infinite beauty of God … shines on Christ’s Face.”

I hope that this Year of Faith is a year of grace for all the faithful of our diocese. I pray that it will be a time for all of us to grow in both our understanding of the truths of our faith and also, through prayer, in our friendship with the Lord and our trust in him. Let us keep our gaze fixed upon Jesus Christ, the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

With our Holy Father, let us entrust this time of grace to the Mother of God, proclaimed ‘blessed because she believed” (Luke 1:45).