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I don’t know if it has happened yet. I suspect that it has. But back in February I read that the Catholic Church in England and Wales planned to distribute one million “faith cards” to every parish in the country in a bid to help all baptized Catholics know, live and share their faith.
The faith cards are plastic and they are the size of a credit card and are meant to be carried in a wallet or purse. On the one side of the card it lists six things a Catholic is called to do: “Share with others the joy of knowing Jesus. Pray. Celebrate the sacraments regularly. Love my neighbor as myself, Use the gifts that I’ve been given wisely, and Forgive as I have been forgiven.” There is also a space for the owner to sign his or her name with the request that “in the event of an emergency please contact a Catholic priest.”
On the reverse side is a quote from the recently beatified Englishman, Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, “God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.”
During this Easter season as we hear in the Acts of the Apostles how the early Church spread the faith throughout the world, we are reminded that we are called to do the same in our time. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit that we receive in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist, we are made faithful witnesses to God’s love. We might not have “faith cards” but we have the grace of the Holy Spirit given to us in the sacraments to assist us in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Next Sunday, Mothers Day, some young people from Our Lady of the Hills and St. Anthony’s Parishes will receive their First Holy Communion at the 10:30 AM Mass at St. Anthony’s. Confirmation will be administered at St. Anthony’s at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 27, 2012 by Bishop Michael Bransfield. The first preparation session for Confirmation will take place at St. Anthony’s on Sunday, May 20th at 6:30 PM. Pray for these young people as they prepare to receive these sacraments.
Fr. Jim |
