A Year of Faith: Exploring the Catechism

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Today marks the beginning of a Year of Faith in the Catholic Church, a time for Catholics to study and reflect on the documents of Vatican II and the Catechism so that they may deepen their knowledge of the faith.

Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of Faith to run from October 11, 2012 through November 24, 2013. Today also marks the 50^th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and the 20^th anniversary of the Catechism.

When Lisa and I discussed what we hope to accomplish, personally, during this Year of Faith, I suggested that we explore the Catechism. At our first CNMC, Lisa Hendey counseled us to blog with a Bible and a Catechism at our side. At the time, I didn’t have a Catechism, but in the years since I now have two different versions at home.

We’ve practiced the Catholic faith our entire life, but we recognize the value and importance of learning more. Recently, the Catholic Church has been featured very prominently with the discussion of the HHS mandate, and the basic tenets of the church are often misrepresented in the media.

So we feel challenged to answer the question, What do Catholics Really Believe?

In order to answer that question, we’re going to spend some time addressing specific topics, relying on the Catechism to guide us. Once a week we plan to examine what the Catechism says about issues like the soul, saints, angels, the Sacraments, suffering, suicide, the Holy Spirit, adoration, RCIA, miracles, Mary, sex and contraception, sin, poverty, prayer, purgatory, and many others. Looking at the list, there are some pretty heavy topics. We think we know what the Catholic faith believes about these topics, but do we?

As we read through the Catechism and the Bible, we expect this year to be a journey of discovery and rediscovery. We invite you to join us as we explore them during our Year of Faith.

If you'd like more information about the Year of Faith, be sure to bookmark this list of resources prepared by Pat Gohn at Among Women.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen."

- Heb 11:1 (new translation by Pope Benedict XVI in the Encyclical Spe salvi 7)

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