2. The Ship symbolizes the Church. The mast of the vessel is the cross. The full-blown sails with the monogram of Christ (IHS) The background is the sun representing the Eucharist

3. The need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ.

6. The Year of Faith aims, above all, to support the faith of believers who, in their daily trials, never cease to entrust their lives to the Lord Jesus with courage and conviction.

7. Priority will be given to prayer, and especially to the Eucharist as source and summit of all Christian life.

8. Touches the daily life of all believers and the ordinary pastoral care of the Christian community, in order to rediscover the genuine missionary spirit which we need in order to give life to the new evangelization.

9. October 11th: The opening which will take place in St. Peters Square, the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II October 21st: The canonization of seven martyrs. January 25th: Ecumenical celebration at St. Pauls Basilica praying that Christians do not forget the path of unity. April 28 th : The Holy Father will impart the Sacrament of Confirmation to a group of young people. June 2 nd : Corpus Christi, the Blessed Sacrament will be adored at the same time all over the world. September 29 th : Dedicated to catechist on the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. October 13 th : The focus of the presence of Mary in the Church. November 24 th : Closing celebration of the Year of Faith.

10. Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed. It is this revelation of God which the Church proposes for our belief, and which we profess in the Creed, celebrate in the sacraments, live by right conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity, (as specified in the ten commandments), and response to in our prayer of faith. Faith is both a theological virtue given by God as grace, and an obligation which flows from the first commandment of God.

11. Wondrous words from an old Gospel Song: Faith is so deep you cant get under it, so high you cant get over it, so wide you cant get around it, you gotta come in by the door.

12. The God in whom the Old Testament puts its faith is the God who liberates the Israelites from servitude in Egypt, who speaks through the prophets, and who inspires the author (s) of the Psalms to sing his praises and beg for his mercy. In the New Testament, faith refers, above all, to our relationship with the risen Christ, who claims from each of his followers the complete surrender, to him that the Hebrew people gave to the Lord God.

13. Faith in the Lord Jesus means turning around our entire existence in dedication to him, and finding in this experience a joy deeper than all the passing joys and sorrows of this life.

14. It is good to compare faith to a friendship or, even better to a marriage, because faith at its most basic is intimacy between Godness and humanness. Faith requires that we live not for ourselves but for others. Authentic Christian faith requires that we live for others, and receiving a reward in return- emotional, psychological, or material- is irrelevant.

15. Gn 6:5-7-16 Noah responds to Gods command to build an ark in faith. Gn 22:1-19 God test Abrahams faith by asking him to offer his son Isaac. Lk 1:26-38,45 Mary believed that God would do what the angel Gabriel told her. Jn 20: 19-29 Belief without visible confirmation is greater than faith based on seeing. Heb 11:1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

16. Deposit of Faith: The entirety of revelation, contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Faith: The theological virtue that responds to God in belief, trust, and obedience. Theological virtues: The theological virtues of faith, hope and love that equip human nature for participation. Virtue: A disposition to do good that is both firm and ongoing.

17. God offers the gift of faith to all; it is ours to accept or reject. Faith is more certain than acquired human nature. The object of our faith is the Deposit of Faith: We find the living Christ in the living Church. Faith and reason are always in agreement, for God is the source of both. Reason prepares us for faith & helps us to see the reasonableness of faith. Faith is not a blind leap, but is based on knowledge of and trust in Gods authority. Faith does not oppose, but rather enlightens understanding. Faith yields and reveals truth. Faith is the basis and substance for our hope. Faith is the only true foundation of charity.

18. Persistence in ignorance of God or his revelation, or indifference to him. Misplaced priorities, such as love of riches and power (1Tm 6: 9-10) Choosing to be influenced by the bad example of some believers. Refusal to obediently submit to the Churchs teachings leading to schism, heresy, and apostasy. Revolting against God by deliberately doubting or rejecting him, and outright hostility to religion.

19. Ask the Holy Spirit for faith in prayer. Participate devoutly and frequently in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. Read spiritual works, most especially Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, and the lives of the saints. Seek the companionship of true believers. Exercise faith by professing it, declaring it, defending it, and doing good works.

20. O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that your Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths the Holy Catholic Church teaches because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.