Blessed with Faith

Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians, "Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith" (3:7-14). We are truly blessed by the gift of faith that God has given to us and that has been handed on to us by our families. The gift of faith is truly a way of life. We need to live our faith everyday, no matter what is going on in our lives, because it is our faith that sustains. Of course, we always need a boost when it comes to living our faith and the "Year of Faith" gives us that energy we need. Yes, we are in the very early stages of the "Year of Faith" and hopefully what we encounter during this year will last long after the "Year of Faith" concludes. As the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith says, "The Church is well aware of the problems facing the faith" and recognizes that without a revitalization of faith rooted in a personal encounter with Jesus, "then all other reforms will remain ineffective" (The Register, 10/5/12). The "Year of Faith" is a time to revitalize the gift that we have been blessed with. A good starting point is with the "10 Ways Catholics Can Live the Year of Faith" which was put together by Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wis, who is chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The 10 Ways have been published in different periodicals and can be found on the bishops website, www.usccb.org. I would encourage you to read over the 10 Ways, but also put them into practice. Our faith is a blessing and a very beautiful gift and we need to live it each day and to the fullest. May God Bless Our Journey!!!