YOUCAT*: We hand on the faith because Jesus commands us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18) [91]
A few years ago, Pope Benedict XVI invited the church to spend a year in reflection on our Catholic faith. “Faith is both a personal and a communal act: it is a gift from God that is lived in the communion of the church and must be communicated to the world.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)
I love this comparison that Mother Teresa used: “Often you can see power lines running alongside the street. Unless current is flowing through them, there is no light. The power line is you and I! The current is God! We have the power to allow the current to flow through us and thus to generate the light of the world: Jesus — or to refuse to be used and thus allow the darkness to spread.”
Each of us shares in the understanding and passing on of the faith. We’ve all heard that saying, “Practice makes perfect.” The practice of our faith encompasses our whole lives. Our faith comes alive in everything we do and say!
*Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church
Lisa Gomes is the director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry