Thinking about the Year of Faith.
“…They called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith…”(Acts 14:27)
Today begins the Year of Faith, the call from Pope Benedict XVI is a “summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the One Saviour of the world” (Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei for the Indiction of the Year of Faith).
I imagine many things are planned in and around the varying parishes, from looking deeper into the Creeds, or perhaps looking a little closer at the documents of Vat II, as I plan to do.
Prayer is central to our relationship with our wonderful Triune God, and perhaps during this Year of Faith you have chosen to hone and increase prayer time and/or spiritual reading.
So as it is time for Vespers, below is the wonderful prayer for mission in life, from Blessed John Henry Newman to kick off.
Whatever you do, may we each be blessed during this coming year, as we are drawn closer and deeper in union with our Lord and Saviour.
God Bless+
Wifey
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about. +
Crispin Pemberton:
October 11th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
This seems such a hackneyed and lazy approach from the Catholics. Lets just call the next 12 months a Year of Faith. It will change nothing for the man/woman in the street.
The Church is not reaching folk with either a faith or praxis that can impact on their lives. Too easily it is concerned to present itself as ‘relevant’ and ‘new’.
But in this rootless and unsettling age, new and updated are not what people are looking for. Authentic expressions, grounded in centuries of spiritual teaching that can be applied in their lives and especially in the home – that is what will bring people back to Christ and His Church.
A Year of Faith might mean something to those of us who already are blessed to have it – it will be meaningless to those who don’t have faith at all. Just the Church being churchy, only a bit louder for 365 days.
Wifey:
October 11th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Hello Crispin,
Thanks for taking the time to share your personal opinions.
For me, I think through a deepening of faith, a deeper union with God, our Lord’s love and light shines through a person. If however there is no love, then all we are left with is a clanging cymbal, which can go much further than putting off those with ‘no faith’ even to extent that some people will be in opposition to the Faith.
Iggy:
October 15th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
The year of faith celebrates 50 years since Vatican-II. In relation to Crispin’s point it is worth remembering that Vat-II put the laity back in the centre of the Church and of evangelism. Strengthening the faith of the laity is to strengthen the presence of faith in the world, so that the Church, the people, may ever increasingly become that light in the world.
TheObserver:
October 16th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
A year long saturated marketing campaign that will be ignored by the media in favor of the ongoing child abuse coverups.