Comments on: Thinking about the Year of Faith.

By: TheObserver

TheObserver — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:09:11 +0000

A year long saturated marketing campaign that will be ignored by the media in favor of the ongoing child abuse coverups.

By: Iggy

Iggy — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:34:37 +0000

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.

By: Wifey

Wifey — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:14:11 +0000

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.

By: Crispin Pemberton

Crispin Pemberton — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:32:18 +0000

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.