Catholic Faith Formation Resources

RESOURCES FOR PREPARING FOR AND PARTICIPATING IN THE SEASONS OF LENT AND EASTER SUNDAY FEBRUARY 18 THROUGH APRIL 5, 2026 "Then the disciples of John approached [Jesus] and said, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast’” (Mt 9:14-15). What are you doing to prepare for and to participate in Lent? The Season of Lent is the forty-day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins this year on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and ends at sunset on Holy Thursday, April 2, when the Easter Triduum begins, culminating on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026 when we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. As the U.S. Bishops explain, Lent is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord i...

“ You have formed us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You ” — St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, " 1,1.5 1 Every one of us is searching for happiness, which is generally understood as the fulfillment of one's desires. Accepting this definition means that happiness is an individual, subjective experience. Therefore, we are each responsible to determine our most important desires, such as what we yearn for, what desires drive us, and what we seek to satisfy us. We may chase happiness in different ways, but the longing implanted in our hearts is, whether we know it or not, ultimately the same: we want a life that feels meaningful, fulfilling, peaceful, joyful, and whole. Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, offers a simple and deeply insightful framework called the "Four Levels of Happiness"— a way of understanding what truly satisfies the human heart and is enduring, and what provides only temporary happiness that still leave...

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path." — Psalm 119:115 "God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all." — 1 John 1:5 "Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” — John 8:12 As Christmas approaches, the world around us fills with human-created lights. Streets glow, homes shimmer, and candles flicker in darkened churches. Yet all these lights are only signs pointing to a far greater reality: the light of Christ. Christ's light does not merely decorate our lives; it penetrates and illuminates them. It reveals who God truly is. Christ's light also reveals who we are called to be—children of God. It opens our hearts and minds to the love, truth, goodness, and beauty of God, even as it exposes the shadow...

We live within a material reality, enveloped by a spiritual reality, that is both visible and invisible. We experience the material world through our senses, as constructed through our minds, but enter into the depths of the spritual reality of God through eyes of faith. To assist us in doing this, Catholic tradition calls us to live with a sacramental worldview of life. A sacramental worldview believes that God’s invisible grace is made visible through the physical world. This means that every part of our day can be a place of encounter with God. God isn't just present in holy places or at special times. Rather, God reveals the Godself throughout creation—through people, through present moments, and through the stuff of everyday life. A sacramental worldview is rooted in God's act of creation, and especially through the Incarnation, when God humbly entered into humanity in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who the Church confesses is fully human and fully divine. In Jesus...

Gratitude is a way of living. It is a foundational spiritual practice woven throughout Scripture and Christian tradition. Gratitude shapes the way you relate to God, to others, yourself, and to the world. Gratitude recognizes God as the source of all good things. Scripture teaches that every blessing—material, relational, spiritual—ultimately comes from God (e.g., 1 Chron. 29:13-14; Psalm 24:1; Mark 10:18; James 1:17; Eph. 2:8-9). Our gratitude acknowledges this and keeps our hearts oriented toward the Source of these blessings, and not merely the gifts we receive. Gratitude is our direct, natural, and fitting response to the gifts of God’s grace in our life. The Bible instructs us “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18); “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1); “Be thankful” (Colossians 3:15); “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it ...

The Advent Season begins on Sunday, November 30, 2025. The United States Bishops describe this season as follows: Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, ad-venire in Latin or 'to come to') is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas * * * The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, we focus on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord at Christmas. As Pope Francis reminds us, Advent invites us to a commitment to vigilance, looking beyond ourselves, expanding our mind and heart in order to open ourselves up to the needs of people, of brothers and sisters, and to the desire for a new world. ( Angelus , 2018) The Christmas season begins December 25, 2025 and ends Janua...