Ongoing formation is incredibly important. Most professional bodies require some training each year to maintain one’s personal accreditation. Engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, project managers, scientists, health professionals and many other professions have to earn a certain number of “Continuing Professional Development” (CPD) points if they wish to continue in that profession. The same is not true of even more important areas of life.
Take parenting as an example. Most parents learnt to parent from their own parents, good or bad. Some parents may have told themselves that they will never be like their own parents, which is what psychologists call reaction-formation. If their parents were too strict they end up being laissez-faire parents, who let their children do whatever they like. I wonder how many parents take a parenting course? Probably quite few, which is why the dysfunctions of one generations passed so easily down to successive generations. One of the most important things that an individual or society can do is raise healthy, functional children but we do nothing to empower parents with knowledge or skills to do so. Maybe churches and schools should be paying just as must attention to parents as we do to the youth. Formation is important.
Another good example is our faith. Many people are raised in a faith, and often grow old in that faith, but never end up knowing more or being in a more mature relationship with God than when they finished their confirmation classes. This is one thing we can’t blame our parents or society for as after confirmation it becomes our responsibility. I am responsible for using or not using the opportunities for formation which the Church provides. And without attempting to learn more about the scriptures, or the teaching of the Church on particular matters we represent the Church to the world. Whether we like it or not, want it or not, we are the ambassadors of Christ, as St Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5. Simply by virtue of calling ourselves Christian people have certain legitimate expectations of us. Most of us don’t feel up to the challenge, we feel we don’t know enough, aren’t good enough to be ambassadors for our faith. And that’s why we need ongoing formation.
Last weekend Fr David Neuhaus SJ helped us get a better understanding of scripture and the Jewish roots of the New Testament writings. If nothing else, we have realised the complexity of understanding and interpreting scripture, and are more motivated to read his book… and even more. In October we will have another guest speaker coming in to the parish to share with us on the Synod on Synodality which will conclude at the end of the month. In November, the month of the dead, we hope to do something on grief, bereavement and coping with death, possibly as a day retreat here in the parish.
We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the Church to get our “CPD” points in the faith. Then we can begin to be true ambassadors of Christ within our families and the world.
