Here’s a question to ask ourselves: In this past week how much time did you spend on your computer or your smart phone? Now ask yourself how much time did you spend in prayer, in reading or learning something about your Faith… our Faith?
This weekend is Catechetical Sunday. Today at our 10:30 am Sunday Mass we will commission our Catechists (teachers for our Faith Formation Program) for their Ministry. But Catechetical Sunday is all about each of us and our role, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel.
In this week’s Diocesan newspaper “The Evangelist,” on page 5, Bishop Scharfenberger reminded us, the people of the Diocese of Albany of several important items… (CLICK HERE for a link that will offer you the full text of the Bishop)
+ Education is a lifelong process of growth, of knowledge, spirituality, and character in a community contact that is provided by our teachers and catechists in our schools and in our Faith Formation programs…
+ The Bishop reminds us that “in no case will our Faith Formation programs for our children be effective without the cooperation and support of parents, who are the primary educators of their children.” The Bishop, also adds, that this means both parents.
+ The Bishop also notes that faith is more than just knowledge of traditions and formal practice. Parents need to aware of what their children are learning. The interest of parents in their child’s faith formation process may even be an opportunity to deepen their faith, their knowledge of the faith, and their living of the faith.
+ Religion, faith formation is not another school subject. Religion… faith… is a way of living, by taking the time to pray at home and at church. And Sunday Mass, maybe attending as a family, communicates to our children, that the essence of our faith is about Jesus and life is more than work or sports, shopping or entertainment, important as these activities are.
No matter our age, we can all learn. We can recall again what we may have learned before about our faith…
This past week, I shared with the Parish Staff a one page sheet entitled: “Assessment of Catholic Basics for All Ages” (Click the title for a copy of this sheet). Copies of which are in the Gathering Area of Church.
As you will look at this “Assessment Sheet” we might wonder what one or two the answers should be. Well thank God for the internet and Google! The answer is but a few clicks away. But living the answers will take a life time…
Someone one might be thinking, you have not said a word about today’s Scriptures: nothing about St. Paul and his reminder to make the Lord the center of our lives; nothing about empathy and our caring for those in need; nothing about God’s unconditional love and total forgiveness for each of us and our need to do the same.
Just maybe there is no need to repeat: Sirach, Paul and Jesus, but better yet a reminder today to get to know our Faith a bit more and live the Faith a bit more at home, work, school, community and Parish, which should bring us to living the Word of God more faithfully today and for each day to come as person, family and Parish.