The Year of FaithOctober 11, 2012-November 24,

2013

The Year of Faith LogoThe Ship

symbolizes the Church.

The mast of the vessel is the cross.

The full-blown sails with the monogram of Christ (IHS)

The background is the sun representing the Eucharist

Pope Benedict XVI Apostolic Letter

“The need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ.”

The beginning of the Year of Faith coincides with the anniversaries of two great events which have marked the life of the Church in our days: the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, called by Blessed Pope John XXIII (October 11,1 962), and the twentieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, given to the Church by Blessed Pope John Paul II ( October 11, 1992).

The Year of Faith provides a chance to remember the fruits of the Second Vatican

Council’s implementation with honest clarity.

The Year of

Faith aims,

above all, to

support the

faith of

believers who,

in their daily

trials, never

cease to

entrust their

lives to the

Lord Jesus

with courage

and

conviction.

Priority

will be

given to

prayer,

and

especially

to the

Eucharist

as source

and

summit of

all

Christian

life.

Congregation of Divine Worship

The Year of Faith“Touches the daily life of all believers and the ordinary pastoral care of the Christian community, in order to rediscover the genuine missionary spirit which we need in order to give life to the new evangelization.”

The Program of Events for the Year October 11th: The opening

which will take place in St. Peter’s Square, the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II

October 21st: The canonization of seven martyrs.

January 25th: Ecumenical celebration at St. Paul’s Basilica praying that Christians do not forget the path of unity.

April 28th: The Holy Father will impart the Sacrament of Confirmation to a group of young people.

June 2nd: Corpus Christi, the Blessed Sacrament will be adored at the same time all over the world.

September 29th: Dedicated to catechist on the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

October 13th: The focus of the presence of Mary in the Church.

November 24th: Closing celebration of the Year of Faith.

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, (as specified in the ten commandments), and response 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.

Definition of FaithDefined by the Catechism of the Catholic

Church

FaithWondrous words

from an old Gospel Song: Faith is so deep you can’t get under it, so high you can’t get over it, so wide you can’t get around it, you gotta come in by the door.

Authentic FaithOld & New Testament

The God in whom the Old Testament puts its faith is the God who liberates the Israelites from servitude in Egypt, who speaks through the prophets, and who inspires the author (s) of the Psalms to sing his praises and beg for his mercy.

In the New Testament, faith refers, above all, to our relationship with the risen Christ, who claims from each of his followers the complete surrender, to him that the Hebrew people gave to the Lord God.

Faith in the Lord JesusFaith in the Lord Jesus means turning around our entire existence in dedication to him, and finding in this experience a joy deeper than all the passing joys and sorrows of this life.

Faith is Loving IntimacyIt is good to compare faith

to a friendship or, even better to a marriage, because faith at its most basic is intimacy between Godness and humanness.

Faith requires that we live not for ourselves but for others. Authentic Christian faith requires that we live for others, and receiving a reward in return- emotional, psychological, or material- is irrelevant.

Various Sacred Scripture Passages Pertaining to Faith

Gn 6:5-7-16 Noah responds to God’s command to build an ark in faith.

Gn 22:1-19 God test Abraham’s faith by asking him to offer his son Isaac.

Lk 1:26-38,45 Mary believed that God would do what the angel Gabriel told her.

Jn 20: 19-29 Belief without visible confirmation is greater than faith based on seeing.

Heb 11:1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Key Terms Deposit of Faith: The

entirety of revelation, contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Faith: The theological virtue that responds to God in belief, trust, and obedience.

Theological virtues: The theological virtues of faith, hope and love that equip human nature for participation.

Virtue: A disposition to do good that is both firm and ongoing.

God offers the gift of faith to all; it is ours to accept or reject.

Faith is more certain than acquired human nature.The object of our faith is the Deposit of Faith: We find the

living Christ in the living Church.Faith and reason are always in agreement, for God is the

source of both. Reason prepares us for faith & helps us to see the

reasonableness of faith. Faith is not a blind leap, but is based on knowledge of and

trust in God’s authority. Faith does not oppose, but rather enlightens understanding. Faith yields and reveals truth. Faith is the basis and substance for our hope. Faith is the only true foundation of charity.

Faith: The Root of Supernatural Life(Eph 2:1-10)

Persistence in ignorance of God or his revelation, or indifference to him.

Misplaced priorities, such as love of riches and power (1Tm 6: 9-10)

Choosing to be influenced by the bad example of some believers.

Refusal to obediently submit to the Church’s teachings leading to schism, heresy, and apostasy.

Revolting against God by deliberately doubting or rejecting him, and outright hostility to religion.

Ways to lose faith- always a deliberate choice (Eph 6:10-18)

Ask the Holy Spirit for faith in prayer.Participate devoutly and frequently in the

sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession.

Read spiritual works, most especially Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, and the lives of the saints.

Seek the companionship of true believers.Exercise faith by professing it, declaring it,

defending it, and doing good works.

Ways to obtain or increase faith(1Tm 6:20)

Act of Faith Prayer O my God, I firmly believe

that you are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that your Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths the Holy Catholic Church teaches because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.