It's Here...THE YEAR OF FAITH begins!!!

Like a little kid anticipating the arrival of Christmas, I've been counting down the days until (today)...

 ...October 11th...

..the first day of...

...the world-wide initiative of  THE YEAR OF FAITH!

All of my report cards from Catholic grade school lovingly preserved by my mother!

For me, faith has always come easy.

I'm not sure why.

Perhaps because I am the "first-born" of my siblings...a rule follower for certain?
Perhaps because I was raised in a two-parent household with devoutly-Catholic parents?
Or maybe because I was just open to receiving the gift of Faith from God.

From my earliest years of Catholic schooling (starting in 3rd grade), I loved religion class...although I could not have told you that I got mostly "A"s on my report card!  If it hadn't been for my mom saving my report cards, I wouldn't have believed it. (I struggled in other areas, academically!)

But what I love the most about all of the "A"s seen on my report cards in religion class are not the letter grades themselves...but what they stand for...

I was passionate about learning about Catholicism!

I took my "job" (as student) seriously. (Regardless of the debates waged over the value of Catholic catechesis from the 1970s and 1980s!)

And maybe, that's why...when those challenging times come...whether they be a sense of loss or confusion during collegiate years...or the pain of facing a divorce/infertility/death of a parent, spouse, child, etc...or just feeling "lukewarm" about religion and faith in general, I was able to stave off any desire to give up on God.

No matter how bad it got, I always had Faith.

Faith, for others, is not that easy.

Perhaps they were raised without faith...or maybe in a dysfunctional form of faith?  Maybe they suffered hurts at the hands of a church community...or maybe they've always questioned authority?  For these folks, organized religions and/or faith in God is a challenge.

So today, I invite you to explore your own personal faith journey.  Where have you been? Where are you currently?  Where do you want to go?

This year, the Catholic Church's "Year of Faith" theme is Faith:  Love It, Learn It, Live It! and she invites ALL believers to explore and deepen their faith journey.  Want to learn more about the Catholic Church's year of Faith...click here.

Faith:  Love It, Learn It, Live It!