Annus Fidei: The Year of Faith Begins

Today the Church embarks upon the Year of Faith, “a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Savior of the world.” Pope Benedict XVI announced the Year of Faith in response to a modern crisis of faith—the very crises that sparked the present Synod for the New Evangelization. This Year of Faith begins as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and it will end on November 24, 2013, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King.

In his Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei, Pope Benedict XVI writes that the connection between the Year of Faith, the Second Vatican Council, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is intentional. The Holy Father echoes the words of his predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, saying that in the texts of Vatican II “we find a sure compass by which to take our bearings in the century now beginning.” And in the Catechism we find the tenets of the Faith explained in a way, which is understandable for all members of the Church.

Pope Benedict writes:

We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. It will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is “the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; ... and also the source from which all its power flows.” At the same time, we make it our prayer that believers’ witness of life may grow in credibility. To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year.

The Creed must take on personal and communal importance, not merely as a set of words, but as the answer to what our hearts are seeking. The Catechism of the Catholic Church must lay a new foundation for believers and form their hearts. The Church must take this opportunity to “intensify the witness of charity” and rediscover the rich history of faith in the Church. The Liturgy and the Sacraments will give the “profession of the faith efficacy,” and all must be reminded of the ultimate importance of fixing their gazes upon Jesus Christ.

Pope Benedict invited the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to write a Note outlining what the faithful can do to celebrate and grow during this Year of Faith. In addition to following this guidance, we should discern where it is we need to grow in faith and how we can go about doing that this year.

Today the Church begins to explore the Joy, which comes from faith in Jesus Christ. As Pope Benedict ended his letter, “Let us entrust this time of grace to the Mother of God, proclaimed “blessed because she believed” (Lk 1:45).