Make Disciples of All Nations...

To add a little humor to this blog... enjoy ... especially for readers who liked the show Friends

Apparently a student created this for a class. Pretty good job - he even made new lyrics.

Into Great Silence

I went to a showing of this movie, Into Great Silence, last week with some friends in Baltimore. Its an independent film that was produced in Europe last year. Here's the movie's own description:
Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks’ quarters for six months—filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it’s a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all.

Overall I agree with the review above - it was very good - and different... I must say I've never been to a movie with so much silence ... it was a bit hard at first to watch because we are so used to action and noise... but, as I got used to it, it grew on me. It is a movie that, if approached in the right way, is very profound and can move you to prayer and meditation of the God who reveals himself "not in the earthquake or the thunder, etc." but in a "whisper" (see 2 Kings). It is also remiscent of the Psalmist who says "For God alone my soul waits in silence."

In addition to the daily lives of the monks - there are many impressive and artistic shots of the nature that surrounds the monastery.

If you have a friend who is interested in the arts or in learning more about the experience of living in a monastery... well this is a good film. It also - is not overtly Catholic - in that you could go with Joe Smo the agnostic - and they would probably be comfortable throughout the movie... it may even spark a conversation or - the joy in the monk's own lifestyle - may witness of the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus.

Checkout the trailer online, if interested in seeing it.

Anyone else seen this movie? Do you think it provides a chance for evangelization? Or maybe is a turnoff?

Catholic Young Adult Revolution

A friend and brother in the Lord, Ryan O'Hara, who directs a Catholic ministry called Youth Arise in the Diocese of Phoenix is hosting a "Catholic Young Adult Revolution" - a conference starting May 25, '07 in AZ.

I thought their vision was inspiring and worth sharing with this blog:

We are a generation of young adults in pursuit of truth. We have seen the offerings of this culture and we are not satisfied. We are thirsty, for it is a dry well. But we have tasted and seen Him, and He is glorious. Immense. Loving. Breath-taking. Worthy.

We are a generation raised by John Paul II. We are ready to go where God leads, to do what pleases Him, and to live lives that proclaim God's glory, His grandeur, His renown, and His love. We want to live lives that count. We want to be among the saints that have gone before us and become the generation that reverses the tide of a crumbling society. We shall not be afraid.

So we will unite at a college campus in Prescott, Arizona for 4 days of worship, teaching, and fellowship—with our hearts set upon His Most Sacred Heart.

We will worship. We will pray. We will celebrate.

Join us.
ARISE07

I think many young adult Catholics can agree with this vision - it really captures the hunger and the thirst we all have deep within - I also think it is really a timely, prophetic statement that articulates some of the deepest longings of our generation.

Would do you think?

Spiderman III

From Fr. Mike, a Dominican priest who is a lead contributor at an excellent blog called Intentional Disciples:

Christianity Today has a movie review about the new Spiderman movie that might be interesting to read if you plan to see the movie... Apparently, the Peter Parker/Spiderman character has to deal with his own pride and vengeance. According to Mark Moring, the reviewer, "The movie's tagline is "The Battle Within," and the story is reminiscent of St. Paul's struggle with his sinful nature in Romans 7: "I do not understand what I do," the apostle writes. 'For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.' The film is rife with themes of love, friendship, pride, vengeance, confession, repentance, forgiveness and redemption. No kidding—it's all there … not to mention a critical scene in a church that I won't say much about here."

If you've seen the film, would you recommend it to others? Is it something that might generate a discussion on the topics of temptation, repentance, confession, forgiveness, redemption or virtue with someone who is not a Catholic?

Prayer for Evangelization

Loving God,

You called us each by name
And gave your only Son to redeem us
In your faithfulness
You sent the Holy Spirit
To complete the mission of Jesus
Among us

Open our hearts to Jesus
Give us the courage to speak his name
To those who are close to us
And the generosity to share his love
With those who are far away

We pray that every person
Throughout the world
Be invited to know and love Jesus
As Savior and Redeemer
May they come to know his all-surpassing love
May that love transform every element of our society

We ask this through Christ, Our Lord
Amen!

Cleaning toilets for Jesus!

Yes... the title says it all. Last night as a ChristLife/Newman Club (Catholic Campus ministry for UMBC) sponsored activity, we got a bunch of students together to go around and offer to clean people's bathrooms for free. Why? In order to show God's love in an incredibly radical way! Known as servant evangelism, this type of activity combines humble service with evangelization. I got a bit of a kick out of it, especially after seeing people's surprised, confused, and often suspicious reactions when we arrived at their doors.

So anyways, why did we even do it? Well, to be honest first and formost I thought it was pretty crazy, that's often reason enough for me to do something. But secondly, I do hope and pray (when my flesh isn't giving me a hard time about this) that people will see that there is such a thing as God's unconditional love, and that people can come into touch with that in the person of Jesus. Maybe showing up at people's doors and offering to do clean their toilets gives them a hint of that. Anyways, that's the idea... I'd like to offer this up for comments:

Does this activity actually demonstrate in a visible way God's love? Or is this too easily reduced to a stunt to get attention?

What are ways in which you have opened up someone's heart to God or evangelized through acts of kindness?

Got God?

First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chad and i'm on staff here at Christlife as an intern for the 2006-2007 school year. As a student at UMBC I was fascinated by the fact that this week is "athiesm week" and last night's event was a forum where religious topics could be addressed in a safe environment. This event led me to some interesting considerations about what makes people athiests vs. believers. I have find that some athiests (not all!) have an intense aversion to religion. There seems to be something utterly hateful that they find in the lives of faith. Now, what I'm about to say must be read very carefully as it will come across rather condemningly either.

I often wonder if people who reject God have an intense fear or repentence. I only say this because in my own experience, the times that I feel furthest from God are the times when I really don't feel like repenting. However, when I can be brought to that point of inner surrender to God's will, I come to see that my fears were imaginary, and that the God of love is unimaginably more powerful than my greatest fears. And so, my spiritual life seems to be a roller coaster ride of learning to die to myself... learning to let that wretched part (the part that, for reasons I can't explain, simply loves darkness) of me die and only through this type of death to I find freedom in the life of God through Christ. Why Christ? Because I see in him the fulfillment of every human need given by God: love, intimacy, truth etc... I'm sure there's so much more to be discovered in knowing and loving Christ, but I am still towards the beginning of my journey (and I imagine will be until I die).

So anyways, about athiesm.... I wonder if in some cases people are so possessed (however you want to interpret that) by a spirit of fear that they have lost sight of the awesome glory and power of God's love. I remember reading Conversion by Malcolm Muggeridge, who, in recalling being rescued from suicidal despair wrote,

"Suddenly, without thinking or deciding, I started swimming back to shore . . . I shouted foolishly for help, and kept my eyes fixed on the lights of Peter's Cafe and the Costa da Sol. They were the lights of the world; they were the lights of my home, my habitat, where I belonged. I must reach them. There followed an overwhelming joy such as I had never experienced before; an ecstasy. In some mysterious way it became clear to me that there was no darkness, only the possibility of losing sight of a light which shone eternally; . . . that our sufferings, our affliction, are part of a drama - an essential, even an ecstatic part - endlessly revolving around the two great propositions of good and evil, of light and darkness. A brief interlude, an incarnation, reaching back into the beginning of time, and forward into an ultimate fulfilment in the universal spirit of love which informs, animates, illuminates all creation, from the tiniest particle of insentient matter to the radiance of God's very throne . . . Though I scarcely realised it at the time and subsequently only very slowly and dimly, this episode represented for me one of those deep changes which take place in our lives; as, for instance, in adolescence, only more drastic and fundamental. A kind of spiritual adolescence, whereby, thenceforth, all my values and pursuits and hopes were going to undergo a total transformation - from the carnal towards the spiritual; from the immediate, the now, towards the everlasting, the eternal. In a tiny dark dungeon of the ego, chained and manacled, I had glimpsed a glimmer of light . . ."

Missions...

For the last several days ChristLife hosted two missionaries from Slovakia we met while we were over there on a mission trip two months ago. Fr. Rast'o is a Redemptorist priest and Bohus is a married man who leads a lay missionary community called River of Life.

During our many conversations and times of prayer - two themes emerged from their missionary experience: 1) the great benefit of close collaboration of laity and clergy, and 2) the importance of the lay movements and missionary communities in the Catholic Church. Both of these factors have enabled these awesome guys to reach thousands of individuals and hundreds of communities and parishes throughout Eastern Europe! Praise God!

Keep your eyes open for an upcoming podcast with Fr. Rast'o and Bohus- which will highlight their missionary activity, especially their experience under communism. It should come out in the next month sometime.

Finally, a note on "missions." Traditionally "missions" has been understood as "out there" and "overseas." But for the majority of us we are called to the ever-growing mission field among our families, friends, co-workers, classmates, etc. This a change of mindset for me, for all of us I think! As Pope Benedict XVI said a few months back, “I believe that missionary responsibility must once again become strong within us: if our faith makes us glad, let us feel bound to speak of it to others. The extent to which people will be able to accept it will then be in God's hands.”

Drawing from this quote, what component of our faith, makes you glad?

How can we communicate the joy of it to others?

Do you find yourself not trusting in God's providence - and thus, not evangelizing - because you worry "the extent to which people will be able to accept it"? Why?