I’ll never forget the first time I donned a snorkel and put my face in the Caribbean Sea. I was a grown woman and had been in and around ponds, rivers, lakes, and oceans countless times. I had grown up watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries and understood that there was another world below the surface, but the impact of seeing and feeling it with my own senses took my breath away.

I had a similar experience in 2010 when I attended my first Scripture Study class. I hadn’t had any faith formation since I made my Confirmation. I was married and busy with two young children but decided I was going to make the time. That class and those since, have changed my perception of my faith and appreciation of the Mass far beyond anything I had learned as a child.

My aunt and uncle didn’t know that their son, Wes, needed glasses until he was three years old. Out on the street, wearing his new spectacles, he reported, “I didn’t know that there are cracks in the sidewalk!” I have a friend that just had cataract surgery. After the first was done, she noticed that whites were whiter through the new lens. Through the yet untreated eye she still perceived the creamier white she had grown used to.

Fr. Riccardo from The Rescue Project says that we all see the world through a set of lenses. I believe we all see our Catholic faith through lenses too and that we might need a change in prescription from time to time. Some of us may need a snorkel to help us see that other world beneath the surface. Others may benefit from learning their faith from a mature perspective and not rely on the oft mediocre religious education many of us received and forgot decades ago. Others may be missing the intricate details or have a dulled-down view of Catholicism.

This fall we want to encourage you all to update your lenses. The Rescue Project will run on Sunday mornings between 8 AM and 11 AM Masses. There are other great weekday offerings during the days and evenings. Open your eyes and your mind so that your faith can awe you like never before.

Escritura: Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17. What stands out?  

Llamamiento a la acción: Make the time to attend a class this fall. You’ll be glad you did. See the bulletin for program details. Contact me at slotlynda@gmail.com if you have any questions.