Eavesdropping at the Cafe & the Year of Faith
True story. As I was working away at a coffee shop this week, I could not help but overhear a nearby conversation. I promise, I don’t make a habit of eavesdropping, but it’s hard to block out a loud conversation when you hear passionate phrases such as:
“If the HHS mandate is only affecting Catholics, why should we make such a fuss?”
“Faith is believing something without evidence.”
“Why do Christians make such a big deal about ‘gay marriage’ if it doesn’t affect anyone else?”
“How can you reconcile faith with science?”
Turns out the girl grew up Catholic but without someone to help her answer the deeper questions that arise concerning faith and reason, faith and science, and faith and culture, she was left to make false conclusions regarding the faith of her childhood.
As the Director of Evangelization at a large suburban parish, this coffee shop experience just confirmed why we do need a Year of Faith in which Catholics not only grow in a personal encounter with the living God in Jesus Christ, but dedicate themselves to serious study of the Catholic faith, including its interaction with science, politics, and culture.
Intellectually, right now many adult Catholics have a fifth grade level faith formation, though they posses higher education or training in their field of work. Thus when they seek to bring their faith to bear on matters in the workplace, with colleagues, in the family, in politics, or concerning the culture at large, many Catholics come to the false conclusion that their faith is infantile, though in reality it is their knowledge of the faith that is lacking.
Let us rededicate ourselves to daily study of our faith, right alongside daily prayer. Not only will we grow in deeper love and union with our Lord, but we will be preparing ourselves to be a more supple instrument in His hands so that we might be always be prepared to give reasons for the hope we have within us!
Tags » homosexuality, life, love the Lord your God with all your mind, religious liberty, science, study, understanding, Veritas, Year of FaithRelated posts