FORMED 4+

I love diving into the contents on the Formed app.
There is something for everyone, no matter where you are in your knowledge of your Catholic faith. I am particularly delighted to explore all the content about the gospels. I never realized how much the Old Testament and the Jewish religion used prophets to foretell the coming of Jesus Christ.
I also love the music that accompanies a series. In the series about divine mercy - “The Second Greatest Story Ever Told”, the music enhances the dramatic effect and raises your enjoyment to a whole new level. The scholars and professors of the Augustine Institute are always bringing us new content. I feel like they are knowledgeable and the way they interact with each other ( for eg. The Augustine Institute Show) shows a genuine respect for each other and their audience. They clearly enjoy sharing their knowledge with us so we may tell others ( family and friends) about our faith. I love that there is a section for children and the recently how Institute wants to offer more content in Spanish. God’s blessings and good fortune continue to shine on the work that you are doing.

In my busy life I find it hard to sit and read a book on spirituality, or hard to pray set prayers for long stretches at a time. Sometimes, even at Mass, my mind wanders and I miss the message. I feel “occupied” with life and I don’t want to pray.

Using FORMED is like finding an oasis in a dry expanse. I can find books on audio for the car or while I get ready in the morning - like the Advent audio “Meditations On the Art of Waiting by Mary Francis” was soooo helpful relieving my stress as I wrapped presents at Christmas. Watching saint movies with my kids, or opening important topics to discuss with my teens through YDisciple, FORMED bridges a gap I’m sometimes at a loss to know how to cross. Even encouragement for my marriage is a result of FORMED.

Vastly more important than helping my family relationships, FORMED brings me closer to God. I can feel His presence and hear His leadings after I’ve meditated on the application of something I’ve heard or seen on FORMED. I’m hungry and have the strength, the desire to seek after God once my soul has been touched by one of the shows in FORMED. And at times, I need all the help I can get!!!

Our women’s study group is using the Lectio series for our Bible Study. We started with Mark. The fine art that is included in the workbook is fantastic. The questions are thought provoking and easy to share. Dr. Tim Gray is the most excellent teacher. He is so easy to listen to and challenges us to go deeper in our relationship with God. His explanation of the paintings is amazing as he draws us into the current lesson and helps us to understand Scripture. We also love his sense of humor as well as the connections that are made between the Old and New Testament. Awesome!
We are currently going through “Prayer” for the second time. This lecture series is so rich that it takes more than once to begin to catch all the profound lessons that are contained in each half hour talk. We hear something new every time.
We have ordered the Study Guides for two more of Tim Gray’s lectures. We hope he continues to offer more.
You can’t beat all that Formed has to offer. Every Catholic who is interested in deepening their faith will find something of interest in the fine productions of The Augustine Institute.