The Five W's

Actually, it's the four "W's" plus "H."  It's a generic format of questioning that I've always found useful when beginning to look into the facts of a matter, whether it's deciding what I've got to do around the house or answering a question at work.  It's a tool that stuck with me from my early days in the military, and continues to prove useful to this day; whenever there is a question to be answered or a basic report to be given, make sure that at least the "five W's" are covered.

1. Who?
2. What?
3. Why?
4. When?
5. How?

I don't know why it never occurred to me earlier, that this same basic method of questioning might prove to be just as good at kicking off a good, basic spiritual exercise (I've been overdue for one) as it is at answering the pragmatic issues that come to us in day to day life.  After all, in the end, what is more pragmatic than our relationship with Christ and his Church, from which all else that is true, good, and beautiful, flows?

So, in the next few weeks, check back for a short series of posts, where I'll share my basic thoughts on the answers to five basic question of the faith:

1. Who do I believe?
2. What do I believe?
3. Why do I believe?
4. When do I believe (i.e., when is my faith called into action)?
5. How do I believe (how do I surrender to the faith, and how is that faith supposed to be demonstrated)?

No heavy stuff, no fluff (not a lot anyway).  Just a pure, unadulterated, back-to-basics spiritual exercise to till the soil a bit...and get me back on a regular blogging.

+AMDG+