Finding God: Our Response to God's Gifts reflects a vision of our Catholic faith grounded in Scripture and Tradition and an Ignatian recognition of the presence of God in all things. The expression of that vision is based on our Catholic belief that effective catechesis
- reflects the love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
- centers on the person of Jesus Christ
- proclaims the liberating good news of salvation through Jesus Christ
- leads the Christian into the world in mission and action
- addresses the needs of the culture in which it is presented
- invites believers to reflect on personal experience in light of growing in relationship with God
- leads to full, conscious, active participation in the liturgical life of the Church
- creates a climate of prayer and nurtures a faith that is expressed in prayer
"The desire for God is written in the human heart."
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 27)
We desire to know God in a personal way in order to find meaning in our lives. This is the aim of catechesis as expressed in the General Directory for Catechesis: "to put people, not only in touch, but also in communion with Jesus Christ" (GDC 80). Loyola Press carefully crafted Finding God: Our Response to God's Gifts to help catechists as they invite children and the significant adults in their lives into a deeper relationship with God and the Catholic Church in service to the world.
"There must be a better way to help children and adults enter into a deeper dialogue of faith." This simple sentence sparked a conversation about faith formation that grew to include theologians, teachers, catechists, catechetical leaders, pastors, and professors. A burning desire to honor the role of the catechist—and an Ignatian commitment to recognize God and his love in all things—turned that conversation into a flame. Together we took up the challenge to create a vehicle that would support all people who nurture a lived faith. Thousands of hours were spent creating tools and crafting resources that would spark meaningful dialogues and offer experiences that would authentically pass on the beauty and truth of our Catholic faith, one person at a time. Being better together and holding to this simple call, we made the work that was named Finding God: Our Response to God's Gifts.
Finding God: Our Response to God's Gifts takes to heart the challenge that "easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all. ... " (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation 22) Scripture sets the foundation for the truths that are reflected upon in each gathering of adults or children. The authentic teaching of the Church is revealed through both Scripture and Tradition.
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