1.800.221.5175
Catechetical Programs
Christ In Us Grades K–8
Parish, K–8
School, K–8
Bilingual, K–6
We Believe: Living Your Catholic Identity Grades K–6
Parish
School
Full Access
Bilingual
We Live Our Faith, Catholic Identity Grades 7–8
English
Full Access
Bilingual
One Faith, One Lord Grades 7–Adult
English
Bilingual
Our Catholic Faith Grades 4–6
English
Bilingual
God’s Own Making
Grades 4-8
Discovering God
Ages 3–5
Between You and Your Child
English
Spanish
Catechetical Bilingual
Cristo en nosotros
Cursos 1–6
Creemos Identidad católica
Cursos K–6
Vivimos nuestra fe
Cursos 7–8
Nuestra fe católica
Cursos 4–6
Una sola fe, un solo Señor
Cursos 7–Adulto
Entre usted y sus hijos
Cursos K–8
Sacraments Programs
Believe • Celebrate • Live | Bilingual Edition Ages 7–15
Reconciliation Primary
Eucharist Primary
Reconciliation & Eucharist Intermediate
Confirmation Restored Order
Confirmation
We Believe and Celebrate
Baptism
Spanish Edition
Prayer Books
My Reconciliation and Prayer Book, Ages 7–9
Mi Reconciliación y libro de oración, Edades 7–9
My Mass Book, Ages 7–9
Mi libro de la Misa, Edades 7–9
We Believe and Pray, Grades 4–6
Sacraments Bilingual
Creer • Celebrar • Vivir Edades 7–15
Reconciliación Primaria
Eucaristía Primaria
Reconciliación y Eucaristía Intermedio
Confirmación Restauración del orden sacramental
Confirmación
Creemos y celebramos
Bautismo
Libros de oración
Mi Reconciliación y libro de oración, Edades 7–9
Mi libro de la Misa, Edades 7–9
Lifelong Learning
Bible Resources
The Compass Bible for Catholic Teens
My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories
YOUCAT: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church
YOUCAT: Catecismo Joven de la Iglesia Católica
YOUCAT: The Youth Prayer Book
La Biblia católica para jóvenes
Adult Resources
Becoming a Parish of Mercy
The Wounded Body of Christ
Missionary Discipleship
Catechism
Directory for Catechesis (New Edition)
Directory for Catechesis (Spanish New Edition)
The NEW Directory for Catechesis—Highlights and Summaries
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd Edition
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
General Directory for Catechesis
National Directory for Catechesis
Professional Development
Professional Development
Catechetical Learning
Theology of the Body Course
Catholic Identity Course
Resources
English | View All
Catechetical Resources
Virtual Events
Religion Blog
Catechetical Downloads
Videos
Liturgical Seasons
CHATechesis Podcast
Bilingual | ver todos
Recursos catequéticos
Eventos Virtuales
Blog de Sadlier Religion
Descargas Catequéticas
Videos
sadlierReligion Hero-1.png

October 30, 2013 WBAS Cat Prayers & Reflections, WBAS Topics Virtues & Values, REL Topic- Virtues/Values

Catholic Virtues Series: Keeping Faith

"Real faith… strips the world of its mask and reveals God in all things.” Charles de Foucauld

There is nothing like traveling to distort our sense of time. My current trip-in-progress brings this into greater perspective. On my way to the airport, my mind raced ahead to the possibility of a missed flight as I sat in gridlock on the interstate. Regrets about not taking an earlier turn-off, and thus avoiding the traffic mess had me backtracking, while the annoying reality of sitting helpless on the highway plagued me. Finally I surrendered to my fate. It is what it is, I told myself, and then popped in a CD of some jazzy music. The sky started to shimmer around me as the sun lit the horizon, and trees in full fall regalia waved their branches in greeting. Time took a new turn when I simply stayed present to the reality of God all around me.

 Virtue-Faith

If I can find such awareness on a crowded freeway, I wonder why I can’t do it the rest of the time. I’m working on it, to be sure, and in those moments when I do surrender, I discover some amazing things. A drive back from the western edge of Colorado over the weekend was a case in point. My husband, Ron, drove with me to Grand Junction where I spoke at a day-long gathering of catechists. On the way home, we pulled off the road in Glenwood Canyon. The vibrant color of the trees and backdrop of majestic canyon walls was breathtaking. In a space of ten minutes I had an epiphany of sorts, recognizing all around me what Saint Augustine described as “beauty ever ancient, ever new” – the wonder of God’s presence.

I hear a lot of lamenting as I travel around the country, mostly about parents who are disengaged from parish participation while, at the same time, wanting education or sacramental preparation for their children. We are still recovering from a national lament over the political gridlock that shut down the government, and are bracing for the next economic crisis. Young people shooting their teachers or bullying a classmate into suicide stun and stupefy us. It’s enough to make us lose faith in one another, let alone an ever-present God. We wait, as one writer put it, for the full flowering of God and yet end up feeling like we are in a perpetual desert. “[The] temptation is to believe that God is not in the sandy stretches but in the oases… a relief from the arid landscape of our lives…” (John Kirvan, Silent Hope). This makes God an over-the-rainbow illusion instead of one dwelling in all things. Keeping that kind of faith is a challenge, to be sure, but also intriguing. One never knows what might surface while stalled on the highway of life.

 Faith_PryrCrd_thumb_750px.jpg

 

Bright Ideas

  • Read about the life of Saint Peter the Apostle and talk about the various ways he kept faith in Jesus, even if it was in imperfect ways

  • Download my Prayer for Faith, and use it in your parish or home.

Prayer for Faith Download Now  

 

 

photo © iStockphoto