1. Read the Scriptures. It is time well spent! Whether you divide it up on your own, or use Our Sunday Visitor’s The Catholic One Year Bible, you can get through the entire Bible in just 15-20 minutes daily over the course of a year.

2. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism is well done, and not as complicated as you might think. The language is clear, concise, and understandable for the average person. There are 409 days in the Year of Faith and 2865 paragraphs in the Catechism, from only a couple to several lines long. Divided into a daily meditation, that comes to only about seven paragraphs a day – easily doable over a cup of morning java. Several different versions of the Catechism - Universal Catechism, Catechism published in the United States (both book version and CD Rom) - are available in our St. Katharine Drexel Book Store.

3. Recite the Credo. “We will have the opportunity to profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world; in our homes and among our families, so that everyone may feel a strong need to know better and to transmit to future generations the faith of all times. Religious communities as well as parish communities, and all ecclesial bodies old and new, are to find a way, during this Year, to make a public profession of the Credo,” Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his declaration. So, why wait until we’re at Mass to profess our faith? Why not do it every day, with fervor and petition for an increase in faith?

4. Read the Vatican Council II documents. I You’re saying to yourself: I’m not a theologian. Perhaps not, but you will benefit from working your way through these pages of wisdom and insight. There are about 1000 pages in the average English translation. That’s only about 2.5 pages per day over the 409 days of the Year of Faith. You can find the documents online on the Vatican website.

5. Recite the ”Act of Faith.” This one will take will take under a minute, guaranteed. It’s so easy, in fact, that you may want to do it more than once a day. The more we say it, the more we’ll internalize it:
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 which the holy catholic Church teaches, because in revealing them you can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.

6. Read the writings of the Church Fathers. The Church Fathers are those whose writings became known for their helpfulness in understanding the faith, and they fall into three categories: The Apostolic Church Fathers were contemporaries of the Apostles and probably were taught by them. Clement and Polycarp are examples. The Ante-Nicene Church Fathers are those who came after the Apostolic Church Fathers, but before the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Examples are Irenaeus and Justin Martyr. The Post-Nicene Fathers are those who came after the Nicean council. Augustine, John Chrysostom, Jerome, and Eusebius are examples. With such a vast array of fathers and writings, it would be impossible to cover them all over the course of a year. However, New Advent has a fantastic catalog of their works, including the works themselves, online. Think of how much you could learn from the Church Fathers over your coffee break each day!

7. Invoke Mary’s intercession and assistance. Our Mother Mary is the prime example for all the faithful. She was the first Christian, the first to believe in our Lord, and her faithfulness is unparalleled among any other believers. Pope Benedict XVI tells us, “Let us entrust this time of grace to the Mother of God, proclaimed ‘blessed because she believed’ (Lk 1:45).” In literally one second, we can ask Mary to help increase our faith: “Mary, please help my faith to increase.”

8. Live in the spirit of poverty, chastity, and obedience. If you’re reading the Scriptures and/or the Catechism, you’ll encounter plenty of advice about the evangelical councils and how to live them in daily life. “By faith, men and women have consecrated their lives to Christ, leaving all things behind so as to live obedience, poverty and chastity with Gospel simplicity, concrete signs of waiting for the Lord who comes without delay. By faith, countless Christians have promoted action for justice so as to put into practice the word of the Lord, who came to proclaim deliverance from oppression and a year of favor for all,” our Holy Father wrote. One small, practical act of each every day will do no end of good in increasing our faith and the faith of those around us.

9. During the Year of Faith, the pope asks us to become witnesses of charity. “Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt. Faith and charity each require the other, in such a way that each allows the other to set out along its respective path,” he wrote. One act of charity each day can have far-reaching implications for ourselves and others.