A Year of Faith!

Fifty years ago the Second Vatican Council began. The evening of that first day, thousands of young people gathered in St. Peter's Square in a candle light procession and were addressed by Pope John XXIII. This evening thousands gathered in a candlelight procession and were greeted by Pope Benedict XVI. His comments (taken from Rocco Palmo's Whispers in the Loggia blog) follow:

In these fifty years, we have learned and experienced that original sin exists, and that it translates itself into personal sins which can become structures of sin, having seen that even in the Lord's field there is discord, that even in the net of Peter there are bad fish, that human weakness is present even in the church, that the ship of the church is steering in the face of an opposing wind, amid differing threats. And sometimes we have thought that 'the Lord is sleeping and has forgotten us.' But we've also been made to experience the presence of the Lord, from his goodness the gift of his presence. The fire of Christ is never a devouring or a destructive one; it's a quiet fire, a small flame of goodness. The Lord doesn't forget us, his way is humble, the Lord is present, he gives warmth to our hearts, creates charisms of goodness and charity that illuminate the world, which are for us the guarantee of the goodness of God. Yes, Christ lives with us and, even today, we can be happy. And finally, I dare to make my own the unforgettable words of Pope John: 'When you go home, give your children a hug and kiss and tell them that it's a hug and kiss from the Pope.'

The Holy Father was a young theologian at that great Council and is using the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to challenge us to recommit ourselves to faith in the New Evangelization. Think of what the first apostles and disciples were able to accomplish in the first great evangelization. Now think what each of us has available to us in terms of communication. We should have an even greater success in sharing the Word and the message of God's love with the world. The early Christians were driven by their joy and knowledge in the Resurrection. That should be our source of enthusiasm and joy as well, the motivation to share this faith. However, we need to be convinced of the Resurrection ourselves. We aren't talking about a neat trick, or some guy named Jesus who had some cool ideas. We are talking about the fact that the Word became flesh, lived on the earth, suffered real pain, experienced real death and was risen from the dead! We who seek to live in relationship with him have the opportunity to share the fruits of that victory! The worst the world can do to us is not match for what God has in store for us! That is the source of our joy and enthusiasm. If you can't feel it: go to Mass. Pray. Read Scripture. Talk to others about it. Read the Catechism. Participate in one of the activities offered by Catholic Campus Ministry or your home parish. If you can feel it, are alive in faith: go to Mass. Pray. Read Scripture. Talk to others about it. Read the Catechism. Participate in one of the activities offered by Catholic Campus Ministry or your home parish. This faith is a 24/7 commitment. That's a big commitment, but no bigger than God's commitment to us!