The Year of Faith

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On my mind these days is the church’s proclamation of the Year of Faith scheduled to start October 11, 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and end November 24, 2013, the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism. The church is calling us to conversion so that we will witness the truth.

Then I put this together with the challenging issues facing LCWR and think of how much I need faith in a good and gracious God. Who has the truth? Our Dominican motto is truth.

I think of the challenging issues facing families when the church talks about religious freedom and contraception. Where do our young people turn? I believe one of the primary statements from Vatican II was the primacy of conscience. I always go back to that as I seek truth and make decisions.

These are hard times but others would say every time is a hard time, just different issues. I turn again in prayer to a good and gracious God. As we celebrate the opening of Vatican II, will the church look again at the primacy of conscience? I recall with joy our intense study of the Vatican II documents and how we as sisters followed them.

Who has the truth for you? Where do you find truth? How do you form conscience? How do you deal with the challenging issues of today?

Laura Goedken,OP
Davenport, Iowa

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