Catholic Faith Formation Resources

Prayer for Life and Dignity Eternal God, creator and sustainer of life, bless us with the courage to defend all life from conception to natural death. Bless us with the strength to respect all peoples from east to west, from north to south, so that we may truly follow the call of Jesus to be neighbor. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen Source: From Being Neighbor: The Catechism and Social Justice (USCCB, April 1998) "CHOOSE LIFE FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS "As our parish communities are measured by how they serve "the least of these" in our parish and beyond its boundaries—the hungry, the homeless, the sick, those in prison, the stranger (cf. Mt 25:31)” (USCCB, Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish ) What path do you choose to follow that leads to the enhancement of your life and the life of others? The Church teaches that all human life is sacred ...

Consider the story of the man who approached Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus answered by telling the man to keep the commandments. The man stated he has observed all of these and then asked Jesus, “What do I still lack.” Jesus responded, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” After hearing what Jesus said, the man “went away sad, for he had many possessions” (Mathew 19: 16-22; Mark 10:17-31). We are all called to allow our unconditionally loving God to be at the center of our lives, and to allow God's way to become our way. However, the more your daily life is filled up with unimportant, selfish, or self-centered worldly desires, things, commitments, or activities, the less time and space there is for God to dwell in your life. “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Matthew 6:21). The discipline of detachment is a pr...

Break Open the Tomb Lord of Easter's Promise, I live in faith of the Resurrection, but such is the nature of my faith that so much of me remains entombed. Break open the tomb. Where I've buried my compassion, break open the tomb. Where I've buried my sense of mercy, break open the tomb. Where I've buried my humility, break open the tomb. Where I've buried my humanity, break open the tomb. Where I've buried my love for my Heavenly Father, break open the tomb. Where I've buried my sense of joy, break open the tomb. Where I've buried my willingness to forgive, break open the tomb. Lord, in you I've found a Savior no grave can withstand. Help me to roll away this stone And find the miracle of new life That I may live more fully in your saving grace Amen. Source: Catholic Relief Services "THE WAY TO ABUNDANT LIFE" "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and ev...

There are many different dimensions comprising our human person: physical, cognitive, emotional, social, environmental, vocational, and spiritual. These dimensions are interrelated and interdependent. Any continuing imbalance in one of these dimensions can affect all other dimensions, whether we are aware of it or not. Our well-being and wholeness depend on striving to some find balance in these dimensions of our lives. Of course, it is important to exercise, eat well, and get necessary sleep and rest to help maintain your body. Similarly, you need to engage in stimulating thought and creative activities to nurture your brain and intellectual development. Likewise, you need to provide the necessary time, attention, and means to support, sustain, and nurture the other dimensions of your life; but again, intending and striving to find an appropriate balance between them. To nurture our spiritual dimension, Jesus calls us to follow him (Lk. 18:22), because "this is the time...

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday that was established by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter, at the Mass of the Canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska, a Polish religious sister who died in 1938. A short explanation of the significance of Divine Mercy Sunday can be viewed  here . Instructions regarding how to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, together with other information regarding St. Faustina and The Divine Mercy, can be viewed  here . Let us also call to mind the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy that we are called to provide to help our neighbors: Corporal Works of Mercy Charitable actions where we help our neighbors in their bodily needs Feed the hungry Give Drink to the thirsty Clothe the naked Shelter the homeless Visit the imprisoned Visit the sick Bury the dead Give Alms to the Poor Spiritual Works of Mercy Actions that help our neighbor in their spiritual needs Admonish sinners Instruct ...

One Moment of Praise O God of every now, and then, we pause for one moment to praise you for all the moments of our lives. We praise you for the glorious moments: bread, the intimacy of love, lilacs, morning coffee, rooted word, a rapturous song, a circle of stories, the scrunch of oldsters at play, children at prayer. We praise you for the shared moments: honest exchange, deepening trust, earned friendship, smudgy work, a ballet of ideas, a lullaby of quietness, trouble met, the release of tears, the easing of fears, the renewing of wonder, the embracing of mystery. We praise you for the surprising moments: the wink of a stranger, the flutter of hope in the stillness, the enchantment of a rainbow and claim of a promise kept, the goodness beneath the flurry of things, beauty out of the muck the clarified direction in a prayer, a light in the soul's night. We praise you for the holy moments: all the bearers of love, of truth, of mercy, of meaning, ...

Blessed Easter “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die”  (Jn 11:25–26). Let us pray for the desire and grace to die to those thoughts and ways that keep us from allowing the Spirit of the Risen Christ to transform our hearts and minds to experience, to live, and to witness each moment to the presence and reality of God’s unconditional love, joy, peace, justice, freedom, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and salvation now and forever.

Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth suffered and was brutally murdered because he spoke truth against the religious and secular powers in control during his time. In that regard, his death was no different from the intentional suffering and murder of many other “innocent” humans who died throughout history because they spoke truth to the powers of their time and place. At the time of Jesus, scourging and crucifixion was the routine method that Rome used to extinguish the lives of those who opposed it, publicizing their deaths as examples of what will happen to any others who opposed it. Other powers throughout history may have used different means or methods for silencing those who spoke truth against them, but all ended with a similar result—the physical, psychological, and emotional suffering and death of a human being. The question arises whether we can ascribe any meaning to these deaths? For example, the death of Socrates, who lived about four hundred ye...

Prayer of Abandoment Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures— I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul: I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father. Amen. Source: Brother Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) "SUFFERING IS A REALITY OF LIFE" "My God, My God, Why Have You Abandoned Me? " Psalm 22:2 "And behold, I am with you always until the end of the age" Matthew 28:20 How do you view the reality of suffering? On Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion we remember the story of Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion and death at the hands of the powerful religious and political leaders of his ...