Living Faith:
growing faith
deepening discipleship
building ministry
A message from the Bishop
Dear friends,
I am very excited about the introduction of Living Faith study groups in the Diocese of Monmouth. It provides us with a wonderful and God-given opportunity to deepen our understanding of the Christian faith.
At Confirmation services, I always feel a sense of awe and wonder when I hold out my hands over the candidates and solemnly invoke the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit. One of them is the ‘gift of understanding’ and understanding has been defined as ‘the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows us to penetrate the mysteries of our faith’. The Living Faith way of learning invites us to explore our faith in a spirit of prayerfulness and discovery so that we can increase our understanding and grow into what St Paul calls ‘the full stature of Christ’.
This journey of discovery should be fun when we do it with others. Jesus said that ‘when two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them’. Meeting in groups enables us to listen and share with one another and to hear what God is saying to us, and I know that many groups develop a close bond of friendship and trust among their members. A good group will have plenty of serious discussion and lots of laughter.
Understanding our faith more deeply leads to a deepening of our experience of God so that worship becomes more real as we worship with heart and mind. This then enables us to relate our faith to our everyday lives – with family and friends, at home, at work, at college or in retirement.
My experience as a parish priest showed me that those who take part in such courses discover that they become better equipped for mission and ministry in their daily lives and in some cases that leads to recognising a particular call to ministry in the Church and in the world.
I am delighted to commend Living Faith to you and to invite you to take part. I pray that God will richly bless you with the ‘gift of understanding’ as you penetrate the mysteries of our faith and experience ever more deeply the reality of God’s love.
+ Dominic