How often have we looked around at our world, our society, our family, and even ourselves and wondered, “What’s going on here?”

Because we are not meant to be forever in this world, because we are called to strive for our eternal home, there is always a certain sense of discomfort in the world. St. Teresa of Avila is said to have described our life on earth as the equivalent of a long night in a cheap hotel as we long for the joys of heaven.

Yet if we constantly feel the disappointments and the limitations of this world, there is something about the current moment that seems particularly worrisome.

Society’s assaults on marriage and family, on the life of the unborn and those close to death, stories of callous disregard for workers in foreign sweatshops and a social and political effort to eliminate God from our discourse and our minds; all of this reinforces a sense that things are seriously not right in our day. The very foundations of faith and society are being either called into question or actively undermined.

But lest we (or this column) simply descend into negative or morose brooding, we need to remind ourselves that Christ is our light. He is always present. By means of his Church he is always breaking through the gloom to lead us to what is right and just and in order.

That is really the message behind the decision by Pope Benedict to call for a Year of Faith.

That year has just begun (on Oct. 11), and it will run through the Feast of Christ the King, to be celebrated on Nov. 24 of next year.

The Year of Faith is intended to give us all a reference point and a time to reflect deeply on why we are Catholic followers of Christ.

It is always a temptation for us to allow our faith and our calling to Christ to become routine and so something that we take for granted.

That’s why Pope Benedict has asked that this be a year of personal renewal, as well as renewal within the whole Church. He has asked that it be characterized by four elements.

First, because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Father has asked that the Year of Faith have a special emphasis on the teaching and the documents of Vatican II that serve as the most recent universal articulation of our Catholic faith. Have you read them recently? Or ever? Use this year to read them and ponder them.

Second, 20 years ago, the Catechism of the Catholic Church was issued. It is an excellent book answering so many questions about our faith and serving as a summary of the teaching of Vatican II. I hope that every family has a copy of it, or of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults that has been prepared by the bishops of the United States on the basis of the catechism.

Thirdly, the Holy Father asks us to celebrate our faith in prayer and the sacraments. Has your attendance at Mass grown sporadic (or even less?). How long has it been since your last confession? The Year of Faith is a moment of conversion.

Finally, the Holy Father calls for us to live our faith by acts of charity toward the poor and the needy. Pope Benedict has written, “Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt.”

Make this Year of Faith to come alive in your heart and your life.

I have asked the priests of the diocese to celebrate this year in our parishes as well.

In the midst of so many reasons for doubt and deep concern about our society and where it is heading, let’s reflect on the gift of faith and how we can make it alive and authentic in our hearts, our families and our parishes.