Catholic Faith Formation Resources

Thomas Merton wrote: Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the man that I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. … My false and private self is the one who wants to exist outside the reach of God's will and God's love — outside of reality and outside of life. And such a life cannot help but be an illusion. We are not good at recognizing illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves….For most of the people in the world, there is no greater subjective reality than this false self of theirs, which cannot exist….All sin starts from the assumption that my false self, the self that exists only in my own egocentric desires, is the fundamental reality of life to which everything else in the universe is ordered. Thus I use up my life in the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences, for power, honor, knowledge and love, to clothe this false self and construct its nothingness in...

OPENING PRAYER Ut unum sint (“That They May Be One”) Lord Jesus Christ, at your Last Supper you prayed to the Father that all should be one. Send your Holy Spirit upon all who bear your name and seek to serve you. Strengthen our faith in you, and lead us to love one another in humility. May we who have been reborn in one baptism be united in one faith under one Shepherd. Amen. "THE FOUR MARKS OF THE CHURCH" — CCC , Nos. 571–664 What four traits or characteristics most identify you? Each Sunday we profess at Mass: “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” These are generally referred to as the “Four Marks of the Church,” qualities that Christ calls us as Church to manifest to the world. What do these qualities mean? The Church professes one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, and forms one body under the leadership of the Pope in communion with the Bishops. Although the Church is made up of a diversity of...

La Pietà is a sculpture created by Michelangelo during 1498-99 and displayed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It captures the Blessed Mary holding the lifeless body of her son, Jesus, in her lap after his Crucifixion. We may easily forget that this beautiful masterpiece, that stirs and moves our hearts, began simply as a block of marble stone. The significance of this is captured in the following story: A little boy was watching a sculptor at work. For weeks this sculptor kept chipping away at a big block of marble. After a few weeks he had created a beautiful marble lion. The little boy was amazed and said: "Mister, how did you know there was a lion in the rock?" (Henri J. M. Nouwen, Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer, and Contemplation (Image, 2000), pp. 83-84). How did Michelangelo know La Pietà was hidden within the depth of the block of marble? He undoubtedly began with a vision, an inspiration, and even a divine revelati...

Despite our thoughts and desires to the contrary, we are finite creatures. Fortunately for us, God is not. Yet, how often do we futilely seek to entrap, confine, and control God through our limiting language, symbols, dogmas, creeds, and codes. How many times do we exclude, marginalize, or seek to control others under the guise that we are the self-appointed and self-authorized interpreters, judges, and enforcers of God’s thoughts and ways? For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) May we be guided and empowered by the Spirit to let go of our self-limiting egos, to humble ourselves, and to let God be God.

OPENING PRAYER We stand before you, Holy Spirit, conscious of our sinfulness, but aware that we gather in your name. Come to us, remain with us, and enlighten our hearts. Give us light and strength to know your will, to make it our own, and to live it in our lives. Guide us by your wisdom, support us by your power, for you are God, sharing the glory of Father and Son. You desire justice for all: enable us to uphold the rights of others; do not allow us to be misled by ignorance or corrupted by fear or favor. Unite us to yourself in the bond of love and keep us faithful to all that is true. As we gather in your name may we temper justice with love, so that all our decisions may be pleasing to you, and earn the reward promised to good and faithful servants. You live and reign with the Father and the Son, One God, forever and ever. Amen. It is stated that this prayer was used before every session of the Second Vatican Council. Book of Bless...

There's the ancient proverb that reminds us of a perennial truth that "we reap what we sow": Sow a thought, reap an act: Sow an act, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny. Thoughts matter. How you think, what you think, and who guides your thoughts matter. Our mind is a continual stream of thoughts. One thought leads to another thought, that can lead us to act. Our repeated actions can become habits (virtues or vices). Through our habits we form our character. Our character leads us to our destiny. What thoughts or streams of thought repeteadly enter into your mind? Do you think of life as a blessing or a curse? Do you think of the glass as half-empty or half-full? Are your thoughts about God and what God deems important, or are they thoughts of the worldly desires for power, prestige, pleasure, or possessions? Do you have thoughts of gratitude or thoughts of ingratitude, thoughts of hope or thoughts of despair? Do you...

This is a modified version of a story that has been told in a variety of ways throughout the years. As Dr. Megan McKenna so aptly reminds us, “All stories are true, and some actually happened.” There was a professor of theology who comes to a Spiritual Master asking to be taught about spiritual matters so that he could be enlightened. The Spiritual Master said they could discuss the matter over tea. The Spiritual Master began pouring tea into the visitor’s cup. As the tea reached the top of the cup, the Spiritual Master did not stop, but continued pouring the tea, causing the tea to overflow onto the table, the floor, and the visitor’s clothes. The visitor could no longer watch what was happening, and blurted out to the Spiritual Master, “Stop. Can’t you see that the cup is full, and no more tea will go in?” The Spiritual Master stopped pouring, smiled, and said to the visitor, “You are like this teacup. You are so full of your own thoughts, opinions, and self-importance that not...

OPENING PRAYER Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in your consolations, through Christ our Lord. "RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT (Jn 20:22)" — CCC , Nos. 683–747 Who or what do you rely on to lead you to the truth, to wisdom, and to understanding?  Who gives you the courage to stand up to injustice? The Holy Spirit dwells within each of us at the depth of our being. The Holy Spirit is the presence and liberating power that sustains, energizes, and transforms our lives. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19). Some of the images used i...

What does it take to know God more clearly? Here is one suggestion: The two essential ingredients are time and obedience. It takes time to cultivate a relationship, and unless we set aside consistent time for disciplines such as solitude, silence, prayer, and the reading of Scripture, we will never become intimate with our Lord. Obedience is the proper response to this communication, since it is our personal expression of trust in the promises of the Person we are coming to know. The more we are impressed by [God], the less we will be impressed by people, power, and things....To know God is to love [God], because the more we grasp—not merely in our minds but also in our experience—who [God] is and what [God] has done for us, the more our hearts will respond in love and gratitude. "We love because [God] first loved us" (1 John 4:19)....If we love Jesus, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15); [Jesus] taught us that obedience to his commands is the way we test and expr...

One of our biggest difficulties in life is when we assume that reality should meet our preconceived expectations. These expectations are usually based on our desires, past experiences, worldviews, culture, groups to which we belong, and the images, identities, or other stories that we have created in our minds (our ego self). When reality fails to meet our expectations, our ego self suffers and we may experience emotional and psychological anxiety, stress, discontent, or other trauma. For example, if your standing on the beach watching a beautiful sunset, you are contented and probably wouldn't try to change the reality of that moment, to make it something different than what it is. You would accept it without judgment or thought, surrender to it, and enjoy the gift for what it is. What happens, however, if your ego starts thinking about a time, many years ago, when you were at a beach with someone you cared deeply about, but that person did not have the same feelings for ...

OPENING PRAYER The Resurrection Prayer O Risen Lord, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Make us faithful followers of the spirit of Your Resurrection. Grant that we may be inwardly renewed, dying to ourselves in order that You may live in us. May our lives serve as signs of the transforming power of Your love. Use us as Your instruments for the renewal of society, bringing Your life and love to all, and leading them to Your Church. This we ask of You, Lord Jesus, living and reigning with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever. Amen. Source: Resurrection Catholic Church (accessed June 6, 2022) "THE SAVING DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST" — CCC , Nos. 571–664 Where or when do you experience God’s saving grace in your life? The Son of God, incarnated in the person of Jesus, came to give us abundant life (Jn 10:10). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except throu...

Have you ever wondered "Who am I"? How would you describe your identity to yourself or to someone else. Do you identify yourself with your physical body, even though it has changed over time? Possibly, you identify yourself as being an embodied soul? Maybe you identify yourself by your name, or your physical characteristics such as your gender, height, build, age, eye color, hair color and style, skin color, and the like? Perhaps you identify yourself by your personality traits, temperament, or by your educational attainment, profession, employment experiences, or your race, ethnicity, heritage, nationality, marital status, sexual preference, language preference, political, social, religious, or other group affiliations, economic status, whether are not you are a parent, and the like. Maybe you would be content to merely identify yourself as being a "child of God." Or maybe you identify with your subjective self as the "person" with your own unique ...

Too often we miss experiencing God's presence in the ordinariness of life. The person whispered, "God, speak to me," and the medowlark sang. But, the person did not hear. So the person yelled "God, speak to me," and the thunder rolled across the sky. But, the person did not listen. The person looked around and said, "God let me see you," and a star shined brightly. But the person did not notice. And, the person shouted, "God show me a miracle," and a life was born. But, the person did not know. So, the person cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon, God reached down and touched the person. But, the person brushed the butterfly away and walked on. Don't miss out on experiencing God's presence because it isn't packaged the way that you expect. (Author unknown, as modified)