Scottish Catholic Observer

“The world tells you not to bother to search for God, to fall in love instead with money and sex and the culture of death. But again and again, you look at this barren landscape, you look at the shallow, pointless life the world offers and you say, No: I want something better than that.”

When Archbishop Leo Cushley told Catholics, especially young Catholics, this on Sunday he certainly caught their attention. His further wise words that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is ‘something that should be on everyone’s shelf’ no doubt inspired a few Christmas gifts this year and, hopefully, a long lasting shift.

Archbishop Cushley was addressing those gathered for the End of the Year of Faith Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh on Sunday that was well attended by bishops, priests, the cathedral congregation and young Catholics.

It is sadly true that for too long many of us have relied on information parted by our parishes, families and schools to see us through our Faith journey from the cradle of the grave when in fact Faith formation and an understanding of Church teaching is, like all learning, our life’s work.

For the New Evangelisation to continue now that the Year of Faith is over, we must educate ourselves. A better-informed laity can better evangelise. If you are not satisfied with your understanding of the Faith, or that of your younger family members, then, as Archbishop Cushley said, stand up and say: ‘I want something better than that’ and do something about it. To defend and promote our Faith in a secularised world we must first more fully understand it as a gift from God that needs to be nurtured.

The Year of Faith was about Jesus Christ, the years to come are in our own hands. We are, for example, being asked about key social issues in preparation for next year’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family. Will we have something informed to say?