Definition of Rote:  A memorizing process using routine or repetition, often without full attention or comprehension; mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition; a joyless sense of order…

Many cradle Catholics have borrowed a rote faith from their parents, who have also borrowed a rote faith from their parents, and so on… This behavior has become so prevalent within the Catholic Church partly due to the way Catholics learn the faith – which is primarily in a classroom setting through Catholic schools or faith formation classes in our adolescent years. For many, the sacraments are merely requirements that must be completed, and their meaning in our lives has never been revisited since our childhood. Yes, the foundation of faith (via the introduction of the sacraments within the faith community) has been built within the will of young Catholics, but if this foundation is not continuously nurtured and reinforced within their family life, they will find no comfort in the rite of the Mass or the repetitive cycle of the liturgical year. They will experience no joy as they enter or leave the Mass because their faith is not owned but merely borrowed. How could this practice strengthening the hearts and souls of the families we nurture? Taking ownership of your faith, the successes and the failures, does not come from a life lived by passively doing the work at hand or merely copying the work of others. We must fight the temptation to simply “go through the motions.” Instead we must commit to understanding these facts and shedding the blood, sweat, and tears required to do the heavy work of building a faith that lasts.