Catholic Faith Formation Resources

[Jesus Christ said], " Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5, NRSVCE). Our own experience shows that when the branches separate from a grapevine, they wither and die and no longer produce fruit because they are no longer connected to the source of the nourishment that sustains them. Those branches that no longer produce fruit are pruned from the grapevine. God is the source and sustainer of all life in which "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Separated from our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustaining God, we can bear no spiritual fruit. To "abide" in Christ means you maintain a deep, close, and personal relationship and connection with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit, just as when t...

God's love is a powerful force of energy that can transforms lives, move people to action, and connects everything and everyone in profound ways. The Christian tradition teaches that God is love, God loves everyone unconditionally, and we are called to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength—our entire being—and to love others as God loves us (Matthew 22:36-37; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27; John 13:34). We can love others because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). Science has shown that love triggers the release of chemicals in our body that strengthens emotional bonds, promotes trust, reduces stress, and promotes well-being. Love isn't just an emotion. It's a spiritual force available to us through the indwelling Spirit that can shape our thoughts, behaviors, relationships, and our health. Love is an energy that radiates from one person to another, creating bonds and deep connections and relationships. Love expressed through acts of kindness, com...

[Jesus said], "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35) The Hebrew Scriptures commanded: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), which emphasized treating others with the same care and respect that you would want for yourself. 1 Jesus’ “new" commandment, quoted above, takes this a step further. The key difference is the standard of love to which we are called. Instead of loving others as yourself, Jesus calls you to love others as Jesus—the human face of God—loves you. Moreover, Jesus’ standard of love is the essence and defining characteristic of being a disciple of Jesus (John 13:35). This standard calls each of us to a new way of loving and relating to others—the way that Jesus loved and related to those he encountered. Through scripture we learn that Jesus' ...

It is in the stillness of our hearts and minds that we hear God. Such stillness is difficult to experience in our fast-paced world where distractions are abundant and often overwhelming, constantly pulling us in every direction, bombarding us with noise, creating disorder, and consuming our attention. These distractions can cloud our minds and hearts, making it difficult to connect with God's presence. Letting go of these distractions is not just about removing noise from our lives; it's about creating sacred time and space where we can truly surrender and discern the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Relationships take time to deepen and grow. Begin with conducting an honest assessment of your relationship with God: How important for you is maintaining a loving relationship with God? When is the last time you read the Bible, the Word of God? When is the last time you spent dedicated time in prayer alone with God? When is the last time you expressed gratitu...

Faith teaches that "In [God] we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). God's is the reality whose Presence underlies all of creation. The essence of God is unconditional love (1 John 4:16). You are part of God's manifested Presence, even if you are not consciously aware of it, or you refuse to acknowledge or accept it. For it is God's grace that maintains your existence through each heartbeat and each breath you take. Regardless of what you believe or think you can control, some day your heartbeat and breath will stop and you will physically cease to exist. How are you being called to live before that event occurs? Christianity offers you a Way. You are called to enter into a loving relationship with God whose Presence lies within the core of your being, as exemplied and modeled for you through the life and teachings of Jesus, and transmitted to you through Scripture and the tradition of the Church. You are called to surrender yourself to God...

" Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" — Luke 23:34 1 The verse quoted above is one of the "seven last words," as recorded in the Gospels, that were spoken by Jesus during his crucifixion. 2 What does Jesus mean when he says, "they know not what they do"? 3 Obviously, those in power or members of the crowd who demanded and had Jesus put to death intended to punish and murder Jesus. The ground asserted to justify the killing of Jesus was that he claimed to be "King of the Jews" who opposed Caesar ( See John 19:16b–22). Crucifixion was the most violent, painful, and humiliating means employed by Rome against those who challenged its authority or power. What may surprise some is that Jesus Christ inherently forgave, or at least expressly asked the "Father" to forgive, these people without first requiring them to understand, acknowledge, repent, and offer contrition for their part in willingly desiring and causing ...