Our very identity as Christians is linked to being a missionary, to helping to spread Christ’s message and bring others closer to Christ.

And so, the more we make an effort to be true to this identity, the more meaningful and joyful our lives become, because we are being truer to ourselves. In particular, today, when we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, we should ask him to show us how we can live more fully for him and his Kingdom.

Of the many obstacles and difficulties that often hold us back in our Christian mission, one of the most common is also one of easiest to overcome.

Many times, we hesitate to speak out about our faith because we are ignorant of our faith. Our secular society likes to keep us so busy that we don’t have time to continue exploring the treasures of our Catholic faith. So, when someone brings up tough issues like the Church’s stance on abortion, for example , we keep quiet—we know what the Church teaches on these issues, but we don’t know why. Or when non-Catholic Christians quote Bible verses that seem to contradict Catholic doctrines, we change the topic - we simply don’t know how to respond.
This difficulty is so easy to overcome!

There are so many resources—books, YouTube videos, Web sites—that we can dip into each day to learn more about our faith and so be better prepared to seize those missionary opportunities. Catholic Answers at catholic.com is particularly good. There is also the Monday evening faith formation sessions in the parish which explore difference aspects of our Catholic faith.

Why should knowledge about our faith stop growing after we get confirmed? Shouldn’t older Christians be wiser Christians?