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Faith, Modern Perspectives, Young Married Mom

October 31, 2012

Year of Faith, Lesson 1

Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man every effort of intellect, a sound will, “an upright heart”, as well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 1, Section 1, Chapter 1, 30

 

We are just a few weeks into the Church’s Year of Faith, and I am already behind my goal. My current initiative is to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I even signed up for an email service that would provide a little bit each day, so that I could complete the full document in a year.

 

You know what day the emails are on? Twenty-one. You know which day I’m on? Six.

 

I think this is how a lot of us feel about our faith: there’s a lot we want to learn, explore, deepen, but not enough time in the day to make it happen. Recognizing that I’m getting further and further behind every day has, thankfully, been a kind of wake-up call for me. I don’t expect to ever be totally “on top of” my faith, whatever that might mean. But I can make a stronger effort to be faithful to the little things I feel called to. Right now, that’s the Catechism.

 

The good news is that I’ve reflected on what made my plan ineffective. Reading online is not a fully engaging process for me. I always have another window or tab open, loading the next thing. It’s too easy to scroll through things and not really spend time letting the meaning of the symbols before me resonate.

 

Earlier this year, John bought a beautiful hardcover edition of the Catechism. In the past few days, I’ve taken that from the shelf, reread the portions I had read online, and continued to move forward. Already, I find myself connecting more with the text, thinking more about it as I go. My mind still wanders, and I’m not going to commit much to memory, but the practice is starting to have some meaning for me. I find myself looking for time to reach for the book, rather than coming up with six other things to do instead.

 

Maybe in a few months, I’ll find that an audio edition of the Catechism works better for me. Maybe not. For now, having the book in hand, with a notebook by my side, is helping me to learn more about my Faith. So for now, that’s what’s right for me.

 

YoF Lesson One: If a certain practice isn’t working, change it so that it will, without diluting the fruits of the practice.

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