By Maureen Pratt | Catholic News Service

One of the most captivating songs in the musical, "Fiddler on the Roof," is "If I Were a Rich Man." The main character, Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, lists all the grand things he'd do if he were wealthy, but in the end, admits what he'd really most like to do is spend time in prayer and to "discuss the holy books with the learned men seven hours every day." That, he says, "would be the sweetest thing of all."

Many of us might feel a bit like Tevye, financially constrained and caught up in very busy lives, but yearning to spend much more time learning about our faith.

Although the hours of the day or finances can pose specific limitations on our ability to continue our education in the faith, there are, actually, more opportunities today than ever before to expand our knowledge of religion, the sacraments and the historical context of the local and universal church. I used many of these pathways of learning to write my eighth book (coming out in September 2018!), and I'm delighted to share them here.

The first and most obvious way to continue learning about faith and to come in contact with people who practice it is to be more active in church: volunteer for service at liturgy, attend Bible studies and reading groups, speak with long-term parishioners who hold in their memories a wealth of information about the parish and its history.

Also, listen carefully at Mass. Take in the Scripture readings as if it were the first time hearing them, and note the ongoing histories presented in them. With open ears and heart, words we've heard for years can suddenly carry fresh insight.

In writing my upcoming book, I wanted to give strong context to the development of ministry with persons with disabilities, and so went to the Vatican website, and dove into papal speeches, church documents and timelines of activities. All of these were readily available, free of charge, and offered tremendous lessons for today and beyond.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website also has an online archive of statements, documents and other information that forms a powerful body of work for study.

Catholic radio and television networks such as Relevant Radio and EWTN, and news sites like Catholic News Service not only report on current events, trends and social issues, but provide a faith context for them and links to resources to better understand specific beliefs or church teachings.

Degree programs might seem impossible for some of us, but online courses through Catholic universities and other faith-based institutions are increasingly available and within reach of even the busiest stay-at-home mom or overscheduled father. And many of these offer degree and non-degree options, certificates and in some cases financial aid, too.

Age can seem to be an impediment to lifelong learning. As we watch streams of younger students head back to school in September, we might think we're too old to embark on our own course of study.

But reports from experts say otherwise: Learning actually helps slow cognitive aging, and anyone can learn something new if they truly try. My own attempts at learning Italian last year might have been clumsy, but they were, after a time, effective!

One of the first people I worked for once told me that of all the things I could acquire during my lifetime, education was the one of the few things no one could ever take away.

God's love, too, is unshakeable.

Pratt's website is www.maureenpratt.com.