Year of Faith
When we use the word “faith” it has two meanings: the faith in which we believe, i.e. the Catholic
faith and the faith by which we
believe i.e. the gift of faith given to us by God that enables us to
believe.
This is the logo for the
Year of Faith.
2013 is the Year of Faith.
The boat in the logo
represents
the Church. The main mast
of the boat is a cross
and its sails are the
shape of the sun which
represents the
Eucharist. On the sails are the
letters IHS, the first
three letters of the
Greek name for Jesus.
What is a creed?
A creed is a statement of
belief.
Many religions use creeds
as concise,
authoritative summaries of
their
essential beliefs. They
are often spoken
during worship or
initiation rites such as
baptism. Creeds are also
referred to as
professions of faith. In
the Christian Church
the two most important
creeds are the Apostles’
Creed which is a summary
of the faith
of Jesus’ Apostles and the
Nicene Creed
which came from two
councils or meetings
in the 4th
century. It is more detailed
than the Apostles Creed.
What does the word “Catholic” mean?
Catholic means “universal”
or “general” and it
was applied to the
Christian faith believed
‘everywhere, always and by
all’. St Ignatius
of Antioch first used the
word around 35 AD.
It was used to distinguish
true believers from
false ones (known as
heretics).
The Season of Lent
The season of Lent is one
of the two Penitential
seasons of the year. It
starts with Ash Wednesday
and lasts for forty days
finishing in Holy Week.
It is a time for fasting,
prayer and almsgiving.
Lent is an opportunity for
people to reflect on their
lives and identify what
they need to change. It is a
season of preparation for
the feast of Jesus’ Resurrection
which is the greatest
feast in the Church’s calendar.
The Sacrament of Penance
The Sacrament of Penance
has been known by
several names over the
years. It was called confession
when the emphasis was on
people confessing their sins
anonymously in private.
Then it became known
as penance when the
emphasis was on doing something
to make up for what you
had done wrong. Now it is
more commonly known as
reconciliation and it is
celebrated mostly within
the community. The
emphasis is on recognising
our need to change,
admitting our failure to
love God and people in our lives,
asking for forgiveness, receiving
absolution and making
peace with each other. It
is good to celebrate this
Sacrament during Lent.
What is holiness?
Holiness is being holy.
Strictly speaking only God is holy.
God’s holiness is
acknowledged in the worship of the
Church in prayers such as
the Holy, holy, holy which
we pray at Mass.
Traditionally certain people, places
and things are regarded as
holy because of their
relationship with God. All
Christians are called to
holiness in the way they
live their lives. The Saints,
such as St Patrick and St
Joseph whose feasts
we celebrate this week are
models of holiness for us.
Examples of qualities or
expressions of holiness
are love, courage,
faithfulness, truth and respect.
What is grace?
Grace is God’s giving of
Gods own self to us.
It is God’s life, presence
and action among us.
Grace is a supernatural
gift which heals and
elevates our humanness so
we can share in God’s
life. God constantly
offers us the new life of
grace which will restore
our friendship with God
and enable us to live with
mercy, compassion
and integrity.
Holy Week
Holy Week is the week from
Passion or Palm Sunday
until the Easter Vigil on
Saturday night. Throughout
the week the events of
Jesus’ last week on earth
are recalled. The
liturgies include the Scripture
readings of these events
and rituals such as washing
of the feet and veneration
of the cross. The Easter
vigil on the Saturday
night celebrates with great joy
Jesus’ resurrection with
lights, bells and alleluias.
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is an
eternal and
universal Kingdom where
truth, justice, peace and
love reign. It is spoken
about in the Old and New
Testaments. Jesus came to build
the Kingdom when
he came to live on earth. Now
it is the work of all
Christians to continue to
build the Kingdom or Reign
of God here on earth. The
Kingdom will be completed
when Jesus comes again in
glory at the end of time.
The Feast of the Annunciation
This feast celebrates Mary’s
agreement to become the
mother of Jesus. Although
just a teenage girl in the
isolated village of
Nazareth in Galilee, Mary said “Yes”
when asked by the Angel
Gabriel to be the mother of
God’s Son, Jesus. Mary
understood the implications of
being an unmarried mother
in her society but she
trusted in God and gave
birth to the Saviour of the world.
This year the feast is
transferred to April 4 because
March 25, when it is
normally celebrated, occurs in Holy Week.
Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time is the days
in the Church calendar
that are not included in
the seasons of Advent, Christmas,
Lent or Easter. Ordinary
time falls in two distinct periods:
The five to eight weeks
between the Epiphany and Ash
Wednesday – the beginning
of Lent, and the twenty three
to twenty seven weeks from
Pentecost to the Feast of
Christ the King. During
Ordinary Time the gospel stories
are about Jesus’ ordinary
life. The liturgical colour for
Ordinary Time is green.
The Trinity
The Trinity is the central
belief of the Christian faith.
This belief is that there
are three persons in one God -
the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. The Trinity
is the relationship between
Jesus who is one with God and
whose spirit is also the
Spirit of God. At the heart of
the Trinity is community –
a relationship of love between
three blessed persons
which all Christians are called to
work for on earth and
eventually become part of in heaven.
The Trinity is a mystery
which is not to be solved but to
be entered into more deeply.
