Faith, Soul of Life

A reflection on Christian experience in light of Benedict XVI's writings for the Year of Faith, with Fr. Peter CAMERON, O.P., Editor-in-chief of Magnificat, and Fr. Julián CARRÓN, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation Movement.

The “Year of Faith” has been declared by Pope Benedict XVI, following his desire to give “new impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead men out of the desert in which they often find themselves, to the place of life, of friendship with Christ.” To mark the beginning of it, the Synod of the Bishops took place in Rome in October 2012 and was dedicated to “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” Fr. Carron participated in it as one of the Synodal Fathers appointed by the Pope. Recounting his experience, he wrote: “The starting point was the conviction, evident to all today, that faith is no longer an obvious presupposition. This situation not only regards faith as a personal experience, but it also has consequences for the life of nations, for whom fertile land can become an inhospitable desert. Perhaps the most significant sign of this desertification is the inability to discern a point from which to start again, even on the part of the keenest observers, who are always ready to point out what is lacking, but are powerless when it comes to offering suggestions for how to begin anew. … From where do we start again, then?” Fr. Carron and Fr. Cameron will address this fundamental question in light of the Pope’s writings for the Year of Faith.