In September 1993, “Straight Answers” appeared for the first time as a regular weekly column in the Catholic Herald. At that time, I was president of the Notre Dame Institute for Catechetics (now the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College), and Arlington Bishop John R. Keating wanted to have a column that addressed questions and issues about the faith. He was motivated by the release of the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church promulgated by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1992. The column ran weekly until July 2006.
Time has passed. His Holiness Pope Benedict now has declared a “Year of Faith,” commencing Oct. 11. This date not only marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council (Oct. 11, 1962), but also the 20th anniversary of the publication of the catechism. The Holy Father also has convoked this October a General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops with the theme being, “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.”
During this Year of Faith, each of us is invited to renew our faith commitment as Catholics; to continue with renewed enthusiasm the journey of faith that began at baptism, that precious sacrament by which each of us became a child of God and a member of the church; and to ponder the depths of the faith that has been handed down since the time of the apostles. In his apostolic letter “Porta Fidei,” Pope Benedict writes, “Ever since the start of my ministry as Successor of Peter, I have spoken of 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. During the homily at the Mass marking the inauguration of my pontificate I said: ‘The church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, toward the One who gives us life, and life in abundance.’” Therefore, during this Year of Faith, we must open our hearts to the Holy Spirit who was sent to renew the face of the earth.
How? This year, consider committing to one or hopefully more of these spiritual exercises: First, take time for daily prayer. Make an appointment with the Lord. Just as a person schedules work, gym time or other activities, schedule 15 minutes for prayer and then punctuate the day with prayer in the morning, before meals and at bedtime. Also, if the basic prayers have not been committed to memory, do so; everyone should know by heart the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, the Act of Contrition and the Hail Holy Queen.
Second, take time for reading sacred Scripture. St. Jerome (d. 420), the great Scripture scholar, said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Begin by working through the New Testament, beginning with the Gospel of St. Matthew. By reading one chapter a day, a person will complete the whole New Testament in 260 days; of course, one should not just read, but also meditate on the living word of God. A good English translation with plenty of introductory material, foot notes, maps and indices is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.
Third, study the teachings of the church. Know what we believe and profess as Catholics. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which beautifully presents our faith, or begin with the Compendium of the Catechism. If one reads two pages a day, one will complete the catechism within the year. When he promulgated the catechism, Pope John Paul II declared it to be a gift to the universal church and stated, “The Catechism of the Catholic Church lastly is offered to every individual who asks us to give an account of the hope that is in us and who wants to know what the Catholic Church believes.”
Fourth, grow in devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. The Second Vatican Council taught that the Holy Eucharist and the sacrifice of the Mass are “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Worship more fervently at Mass. As time permits, attend daily Mass, perhaps on Friday. Make a weekly Holy Hour, praying before Our Lord truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
Fifth, do penance. For too many people, regular confession has been forgotten or has never been instilled. Make a thorough examination of conscience, and then go to confession and receive sacramental absolution. Moreover, do penance for the reparation of one’s own sins, for the intentions of a loved one, for the conversion of sinners or for the poor souls in purgatory. Such penances may include a daily sacrifice, a charitable work to help someone, abstinence from meat on Friday (a regular day for penance) or praying the Stations of the Cross weekly, again Friday. Penance makes us mindful of the tender mercy of Our Lord and more compassionate toward others.
So let us prepare for the Year of Faith. “Straight Answers,” which will be printed biweekly, will address issues and questions regarding our Catholic faith.