Catholic Faith Formation Resources

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 ...

At your Baptism you received Christ’s gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. “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) You are called to embrace a life lived in the Holy Spirit, allowing it to guide your thoughts, attitude, decisions, and actions. If you are willing to humbly surrender, discern, and cooperate with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, it will teach you the Way of Christ—the virtuous way of truth, love, peace, justice, goodness, compassion, forgiveness, and selfless service to others—that leads you towards holiness (the perfection of love) and closeness with God, and it will guide you, intercede for you, and empower you to become the unique person that God intends for you to be. As scripture teaches, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Achieving holiness is not attained through your ow...

Catholic Christian spirituality is a way of life, lived with a community of faith, that seeks to help you grow in loving and meaningful relationships with God, others, yourself, and all of creation. It calls you to be open and attentive to the promptings, guidance, and transformative power of the Holy Spirit, centered on the teachings, principles, qualities, and example of Jesus Christ, the human face of God for us, as revealed in Scripture and the Church's tradition. It is the recognition that God unconditionally loves you, seeks a personal relationship with you, is merciful and forgiving, wills only your good, and is present to you in each moment of your everyday life. Catholic Christianity offers numerous practices that can deepen your relationship with God, help you to become more Christlike and more attuned to the promptings of the Spirit, and assist you in your spiritual, personal, emotional, and pschological growth. 1 Here are some of the benefits you can experience f...

One of the primary attributes of the Divine ("God") is omnipresence, that is, God is present everywhere at each moment of time. There is no place or time that God is not present. * The issue is not whether God is present but, rather, whether you are present to God in each moment. It is not about you finding God, it is about you allowing God to find you. This is an act of faith and trust in the underlying reality of God's unconditional, loving presence, which is always there, but requires your desire and willingness to encounter it, to be open to it with humility, self-awareness or mindfulness and, when you encounter it, to lovingly surrender to it. Some of the ways that God invites you to experience God's presence are: trusting in God's infinite love and mercy, letting go of distractions, anxiety, doubt, or fears that may block your ability to feel and experience God's presence; spending time in prayer and quiet reflection, allowing stillness and silence...

"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Lk 23:34) An unexamined life is not worth living” —Socrates Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) Do you ever reflect on God's presence in your life? An ancient, spiritual practice found in most religions asks each of us to apply our human capability of self-reflection to consider or review our relationship with God. One such practice was formulated in the sixteenth century by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, who taught in his Spiritual Exercises that you can find God in all things and at every moment, even in the ordinary experiences of your life. St. Ignatius offered the Examen as a daily practice of prayerful reflection on the events of your day in order to help you to detect God’s presence, discern God's plan for your well-being,...

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16 " God is the author of Sacred Scripture. 'The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, . . . . written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author . . . . God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. The inspired books teach the truth . . . . we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures." Catechism of the Catholic Church , nos. 105–107, citing Dei Verbum 11. How often do you read and reflect on Scripture? Lectio Divina ("Divine Reading"), is an ancient prayer practice...