Reaching out to Muslims

Recently I had the great privilege of speaking with Fr. Joseph Kenny, a Dominican friar from Nigeria. He shared with us the struggle of Muslims in Nigeria and how we can relate to them, understand them, and ultimately show the love of Jesus to them.

To give you a little background on Fr. Joseph Kenny: He was sent to Nigeria in 1964, while the Vatican II Council was in progress, because the Holy See requested the Dominicans to provide a resource person knowledgeable in Arabic and Islam, because nearly half the country is Muslim and there was a need at the very least to secure understanding and peace between the two communities. He took some time off to learn Arabic in Rome, Tunisia and Cairo, and to get a Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University in 1970. After resuming work in the North and then teaching Islamics at the government-owned University of Ibadan for 22 years, he is presently based at the Dominican Institute, Ibadan, which provides philosophy and theology courses for candidates for the priesthood as well as for lay students, and also courses in communications and Internet.

We began the interview discussing the necessity of everyone in the Church to show interest in Muslims and reach out to them. "Why? Because Christ died for them" (Fr. Kenny). That point may seem obvious, but it actually struck me that in my own life I don't know if I would go out of my way to speak to a Muslim because God loves them and I desire for them to know that. It is something that I think many of us know, but need to better practice and live out.
Fr. Kenny stressed the fact that we should "walk with the Muslims", that is, we should be understanding their situations, problems, customs, and their life from their perspective. We should try to learn about them and treat them as friends first and foremost. Not that we water down our faith, on the contrary, they actually deeply respect someone who is solid in their beliefs. Rather, "we propose, we do not impose" (Fr. Kenny quotes John Paul II).

There have been great improvements in Nigeria in the last several years, which can partially be attributed to John Paul II. Although, his impact did not come without a price. He took a bullet and was greatly rejected by Muslims initially. At his funeral there were countless Muslims saying how much they admired John Paul II and grieving his death. Since then there has been decreasing hostility between Muslims and Christians, yet it is still not the freedom that we have here in America and we should not take for granted. We are able to approach Muslims in the street and strike up conversations with them and even tell them about Jesus, which is something not possible in many Islamic countries. We should take advantage of this opportunity (Fr. Kenny).

I was very encouraged by my conversation with Fr. Kenny. He is very knowledgeable and has a passion and love for Muslims that I find inspiring. The main thing I hope to live out as a result of the conversation we had is to not be afraid to approach a Muslim and to strike up a conversation not necessarily preaching Jesus to them, but finding out how they are doing and seeing things from their perspective, becoming a friend first and foremost. Please pray for Fr. Kenny and his work in Nigeria, to find out more about his work click here.

Come Holy Spirit!

In ChristLife's latest podcast Bill Johnson gives teaching on the Holy Spirit being the power and presence of Jesus in our lives and how we need to be continuously "leaking that presence. It is so impactful how Bill Johnson explains the basic truths of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in layman's terms and makes it applicable to every second of every day of our lives. I highly recommend listening to his words, and I hope we can all grow in great docility to the incredible Holy Spirit!
Also in this podcast, our director, Dave Nodar shares about how the Holy Spirit is essential in the evagelization work of ChristLife and the current Sharing Christ course co-sponsored by ChristLife and UMBC for young adults.

To listen to Bill Johnson in our 47th podcast click here or press play below:

Evangelizing in Ireland

This is a great article that came out today via ZENIT news about a new evangelization initiative in Ireland. Its amazing how similar the situation in America is to the decaying Church in Europe. Bold initiatives like this are worthy of our prayers and imitation over here in America. The italics below is mine:

Sharing the Faith Anew in Ireland
Interview With Archbishop Martin of Dublin
By Dominic Baster

DUBLIN, Ireland, JUNE 23, 2008. In a bid to proclaim Christ afresh to a new generation of Irish who have lost sight of the Gospel, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has launched a major drive for evangelization.

The archbishop has invited all 200 Dublin parishes to join in a common program of missionary outreach and evangelization for the year 2009. Coordinated by the archdiocese's first episcopal vicar for evangelization, Father Ciaran O'Carroll, the project will involve education in the faith, liturgical and scriptural formation, outreach to young people, and work for justice and charity.

Archbishop Martin said that one of the priorities for the new office will be the evangelization of the family.

In this interview with ZENIT, Archbishop Martin discusses why the initiative has become necessary, why the family is so important to its success, and what Irish Catholicism has to offer to the world of today.

Q: Why have you decided that this initiative is necessary now?

Archbishop Martin: I believe our holiness offers contemporary society in 2008 a new manner of living. We need to bring the message of Jesus' love to our world -- it is a unique message of truth, justice and love.

Today, so many of those who were baptized as Christians no longer really know Jesus, and their way of living demonstrates that the message of Jesus touches their lives only in a marginal way.

On the one hand, I feel there is a real sense in which the Archdiocese of Dublin is mission territory. On the other hand, I have been greatly encouraged by the manner in which laypeople have been emerging as co-workers in providing pastoral care, bringing their unique charism to the Church willingly, generously and with competence. They are waiting to have the opportunity to do more and to do it differently. In this I discern the Lord speaking to us and challenging us all.

Q: What tangible results are you hoping to achieve in the course of the year?

Archbishop Martin: The first element in every form of ministry is conversion. Conversion is not a process of a single moment. Formation in the faith is ongoing and lifelong.

I would like as many homes in the diocese to be visited in the course of 2009. Many parishes have already done this and others are in the process of doing so. Hopefully it will be possible to give each home a copy of the Gospel for the year -- the Gospel which will be the object of all our reflection as we allow the Spirit to open our hearts.

Many of our Parish Pastoral Councils are also planning forms of partnership with the Church in poorer communities around the world, inspired by a sense of justice, care and of fellowship among the Churches. I would like to see new ways in which the archdiocese could also more visibly witness to this fellowship among the Churches, perhaps adopting each year a particular Church that needs our support.

As Pope Benedict reminds us, "The Church ... cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice."

Q: What will be the key elements of the new initiative?

Archbishop Martin: The Diocesan Office for Evangelization will provide technical and resource backup for the new missionary outreach. It will also help to coordinate the work of education in the faith, liturgical and scriptural animation, outreach to young people, and our work for justice and charity.

Evangelization and renewal, not only structural renewal but renewal in holiness, means reaching out to as many people as possible in the missionary spirit. Every aspect of diocesan life and of the diocesan administration will be focused on this program. Teams of priests, deacons and laypersons will be called to work together to support parish communities.

We have a strange situation in Ireland whereby, even after many years of religious education in Catholic schools, many young men and women come away only with a superficial understanding of the faith and a superficial commitment to the faith. Faced with strong trends of secularization, their faith comes under great stress and they are unable to engage in the debate between faith and daily life.

Q: You have identified the evangelization of the family as a key priority for the new initiative. Why is the family so important in the task of evangelization?

Archbishop Martin: Family is the fundamental base for passing on the faith to children and young people. Where the faith life of families is weak, evangelization will lose its roots. Where families totally delegate their responsibility for the formation of their children in faith to schools, they are losing sight not only of their responsibility but also of the special grace of the sacrament of marriage.

Q: Many have said that the traditional family is in decline in Western society. Why do you think this is, and how can the Church defend families?

Archbishop Martin: Today, all too often discussion of the family quickly degenerates into discussion of problems, of breakdown, of alternative models. Rarely do we speak of marriage and the family as resources for both the Church and society.

Rarely do we hear of the call of Christians to exercise their ministry in and through the sacrament of marriage, a sacrament which by its nature -- like all the sacraments -- is oriented toward the building up of the Church.

Evangelization of the family is a priority for our activities in parishes and throughout the diocese. Parish Pastoral Councils, on account of their predominantly lay character, foster a platform for reflection on the family as a resource for society and the Church. Together we can work on developing new resources for family-focused catechesis. A priority for our new Diocesan Office for Evangelization will have to be to find ways to support families in this task.

Q: What particular challenges are faced in the work of evangelization in Ireland today?

Archbishop Martin: I have said on a number of occasions that the numbers of those who regularly participate in the Eucharist in our diocese is dropping and many baptized Catholics no longer know Jesus. His message does not touch their lives.

Our catechesis was perhaps too moralistic, appearing as lists of rules for behavior in life, rather than as the response to the message of Jesus -- a demanding message, but one about the demands of love, which enables us to find the depth of our meaning.

But we cannot overlook the fact that in Ireland, the Church's good will was damaged by a series of scandals. As a Church community we must be attentive to anyone who feels that they have been wounded or hurt or abandoned by the Church in any way. The Church in Dublin must regain the good will of all. It must be a place where all the necessary measures for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons are in place. Measures for safeguarding children must be seen as a priority and not as a burden. The Diocesan Child Protection Service works with parish pastoral councils in providing training and assistance in this area.

Q: Ireland has a long tradition of sending missionaries around the world. Does the Irish vision of Catholicism still have something valuable to offer to the Church as a whole?

Archbishop Martin: The well-established commitment of the Irish people to the developing world, which has found a very welcome expression in the increased funding of overseas aid by the Irish government, owes much to our long tradition of Church missionary activity. Thank God that development issues are still issues that arouse passion within Irish society.

As Ireland continues to change, and thousands of people arrive here from around the world to make a new home for themselves and their families, Irish Catholicism has much to offer, by example. In our Festival of Peoples, celebrated on the feast of the Epiphany each year, I welcome people with their chaplains and community leaders from many countries in Europe and further afield.

I am pleased that the Church in Dublin has been at the forefront in welcoming and integrating those who have come more recently. The social, economic and political future of Ireland, with the particular challenges that the coming years will bring, will require that we all work together to build a society not just of anonymous next door neighbors but of people of varied backgrounds committed to building a new community.

For ways to reach out and Share Christ with those around you, checkout our Sharing Christ course.

Any comments on this article?

I personally am encouraged by the Archbishop's honesty when it comes to the very poor results concerning Catholic education and catechesis in the past. Its amazing in our work with Discovering Christ - how many older Catholics talk about how they never heard about a real living relationship with Jesus Christ... They talk about rules and regulations and Church issues... but "a loving relationship with their Savior"? Never heard of it.

His candid remarks about how Dublin is "mission territory" is the stark reality we find ourselves in, here in America. It makes you rethink those we feel "need to know Jesus Christ." I usually am very encouraged when I hear "so and so" is Christian or Catholic - and we should be - but we can never presume that person knows personally the wonderful love and truth and beauty of Jesus - and is living in his Presence daily!

On this topic, the diocese of Atlanta hosted a Eucharistic Congress last weekend. Over 25,000 Catholics attended. One of the main speakers, Fr. Tim Hepburn, spoke on the need for evangelization. Gashwin Gomes, a Catholic blogger who was at the event, reports on the first talk by Fr. Tim-

"The first main talk was by Fr. Tim Hepburn, a priest of the Archdiocese, who's recently finished a degree in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. What an Spirit-filled priest! He said that one cannot assume that just by being Catholic one has faith. Faith is an intentional response. It doesn't just happened. So many Catholics have an unawakened faith. "You shouldn't even presume that just because I am a priest, I have faith!" "If a mouse were to jump up on the altar during Mass and eat the consecrated Species, would it receive the Real Body and Blood of Christ?" (Yes) "But would it receive the Eucharistic Lord?" (No!) "The Sacraments are Sacraments of faith. The power of the Eucharist only works if we are properly disposed. "So many Catholics have the faith of mice!"

Come Holy Spirit, deepen our faith! Awaken in those who've been touched by your Presence a deep, bold missionary zeal! Awaken the faith of those who've once known you! Help us to be your witnesses, come in power! We trust in you, Jesus!

Disovering Christ at W.Y.D.

World Youth Day is the largest youth event in the world. This year's World Youth Day 2008 it will be held in Sydney, Australia from July 15-20. At World Youth Day 1989, John Paul the Great focused on the necessity of young people to discover Christ. This is the most important thing we could ever do, and his words are very inspiring and urgent in regards to the desperate need of all humanity to discover Jesus Christ:

"World Youth Day 1989 will be centred on Jesus Christ, as our Way, our Truth and our Life (cfr. Jn 14:6). For all of you it must therefore become the Day of a new, a more mature and a deeper discovery Christ in your life.

To be young is already in itself a special and specific treasure for every young man and young woman (cfr. Letter to the Youth of the World, n. 3). This treasure consists, among other things, in the fact that yours is an age of many important discoveries. Each one of you discovers him or her self, his or her personality, the meaning for him or for her of existence, the reality good and evil. You also discover the whole world around you - the human world and the world of nature. Now, among these many discoveries there must not be lacking one that is of fundamental importance for every human being: the personal discovery of Jesus Christ. Discovering Christ, always again and always more fully, is the most wonderful adventure of our life. That is why, on the occasion of the forthcoming Youth Day, I want to ask each one of you some very important questions, and to suggest the answers.

- Have you already discovered Christ, who is the Way?

Yes, Jesus is for us a way that leads to the Father - the оnlу Way. Whoever wants to reach salvation must set out along this way. You young people very often find yourselves at a crossroads, not knowing which path to choose, which way to go; there are so many wrong paths, so many facile proposals, so many ambiguities. In moments like this, do not forget that Christ, with his Gospel, his example, his commandments, is always and alone the safest way, the way which leads to full and lasting happiness.

- Have you already discovered Christ, who is the Truth?

Truth is the deepest need of the human spirit. Young people especially are hungry for the Truth about God and man, about life and the world. In my first Encyclical Redemptor Hominis I wrote: "The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly - and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial, and even illusory standards and measures of his being - must with his unrest, uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ" (n. 10). Christ is the Word of truth, uttered by God himself, in response to all the questioning of the human heart. He is the One who reveals fully to us the mystery of man and of the world.

- Have you already discovered Christ, who is the Life?

Each one of you is so anxious to live life in its fullness. You live with great hopes, with so many fine plans for the future. But do not forget that the true fullness of life is to be found only in Christ, who died and rose again for us. Christ alone is able to fill in depth the space of the human heart. He alone gives the strength and joy living, in spite of any limit or external impediment.

Yes, discovering Christ is the finest adventure of your life. But it is not enough to discover Him just once. Discovering Him becomes every time an invitation to seek Him always more, to come to know Him still better through prayer, participating in the sacraments, meditating on his Word, through catechises and listening to the teachings of the Church. This is our most important task, as St Paul had well understood when he wrote: "For me, indeed, to live is Christ" (Phil 1:21).

2. The new discovery of Christ - when it is authentic - always directly results in the desire to bring Him to others, that is, in a commitment to the apostolate. This, precisely, is the second guideline for the next Youth Day.

To the whole Church is addressed Christ's соmmаnd: "Gо оut tо the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation" (Mk 16:15). The whole Church, therefore, is missionary and evangelizing; she lives constantly in a state of mission (cfr. Decree Ad Gentes, n. 2). To be Christians means to be missionaries, to be apostles (cfr. Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, n. 2). It is not enough to discover Christ - you must bring Him to others!

The world of today is one great mission land, even in countries of long-standing Christian tradition. Everywhere today neopaganism and the process of secularization present a great challenge to the message of the Gospel. But, at the same time, there are new openings in our day for the proclamation of the Good News. We see, for example, a growing nostalgia for the sacred, for genuine values, for prayer. Аnd so, today's world needs many apostles - especially apostles who are young and courageous. You young people have in a special way the task of witnessing today to the faith; the commitment to bring the Gospel of Christ - the Way, the Truth and the Life - into the third Christian Millennium, to build a new civilization - a civilization of love, of justice and of peace.

Each new generation needs new apostles. This means a special mission for you. You young people are the first apostles and evangelizers of the world of youth, assailed today by so many challenges and so much that is threatening (cfr. Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, n. 12). Above all, you can be evangelizers, and no one can take your place, where уоu study, and in your work and your free time. So many of those of your own age do not know Christ, or do not know Him well enough. So you cannot remain silent and indifferent! You must have the courage to speak about Christ, to bear witness to your faith through a life-style inspired by the Gospel. St Paul wrote: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1Cor 9:16). The harvest is great indeed for evangelization and so many workers are needed. Christ trusts you and counts on your collaboration. On the occasion of the forthcoming Youth Day, I invite you, therefore, to renew уоur apostolic commitment. Christ needs you! Respond to his call with courage and with the enthusiasm that belongs to your age." (view full article)

For more information on how to provide a Discovering Christ course in your parish click here.

Jesus in the Workplace

It has been an incredible experience, thus far, interning at ChristLife. The focus here in every task and activity we do is to do it in the same manner as Jesus himself would do it. That requires strength and grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is why we start every day with mourning prayer and worship in our chapel. Yet, you do not have to be working in a Catholic ministry to have Jesus as the goal and center of your workplace. In any occupation and vocation Jesus can and should motivate everything thing we do, by showing us how He himself would do it, as Dallas Willard points out in his book The Divine Conspiracy:

"But let us become as specific as possible. Consider just your job, the work you do to make a living. This is one of the clearest ways possible of focusing upon apprenticeship to Jesus. To be a disciple of Jesus is, crucially, to be learning from Jesus how to do your job as Jesus himself would do it. New Testament language for this is to do it 'in the name' of Jesus.

Once you stop and think about it, you can see that not to find your job to be a primary place of discipleship is to automatically exclude a major part, if not most, of your walking hours from life with him. It is to assume to run one of the largest areas of your interest and concern on your own or under the direction and instruction of people other than Jesus. But this is right where most professing Christians are left today, with the prevailing view that discipleship is a special calling having to do chiefly with religious activities and 'full-time Christian service.'

But how, exactly, is one to make one's job a primary place of apprenticeship to Jesus?....

A gentle but firm noncooperation with things that everyone knows to be wrong, together with a sensitive, nonofficious, nonintrusive, nonobsequious service to others, should be our usual overt manner. This should be combined with inward attitudes of constant prayer for whatever activity our workplace requires and genuine love for everyone involved....

It is not true, I think, that we fulfil our obligations to those around us by only living the gospel. There are many ways of speaking inappropriately, of course - even harmfully - but it is always true that words fitly spoken are things of beauty and power that bring life and joy. And you cannot not assume that people understand what is going on when you only live in their midst as Jesus' person. They may just regard you as one more version of human oddity.

I once knew of a case in an academic setting where at noon one professor very visibly took his Bible and lunch and went out to a nearby chapel to study, pray, and to be alone. Another professor would call his assistant into his office, where they would have sex. No one in that environment thought either activity to be anything worth inquiring about. After all, people do all sorts of things. We are used to that. In some situations it is only words that can help toward understanding." (Divine Conspiracy)

Share Jesus!

“No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church, can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples”. – John Paul the Great

Our former Pope, John Paul the Great, challenges us to step outside of ourselves and to reach out to everyone we meet with the love of Christ. He doesn't say that this duty is one of priests or religious alone, but of all believers in Christ! This has really challenged me in my faith to be more open to those opportunities in normal daily life to tell someone about Jesus.

Sometimes even though we may desire to tell others about Christ, we may not know where to begin or how to go about it. Ultimately that's what the Holy Spirit is for, but there are also practical aspects of evangelization that are worth knowing.

This summer ChristLife and the UMBC Newman club are co-sponsoring a Sharing Christ course for young adults. This course is designed to train Catholics to evangelize, which is so needed in our Church today.

Sharing Christ is composed of seven sessions that include teaching and testimonies, complimented with small group discussion and prayer, weekly prayer, and action assignments. Dave Nodar and Dianne Martin (who worked for ChristLife from 2001-2007) present the talks:
• Called to Share Christ
• Friendship: A Way to Share Christ
• Sharing the Journey
• The Power to Share Christ
• Presenting the Good News
• By Personal Invitation
• Missionaries - Anytime, Anywhere!

The course will begin at UMBC's interfaith center on Thursday evening, June 12th, from 7:30-9:30, and run for seven weeks. I am very excited to go through this course and to be more open to the call of the Church to evangelize! Please pray for this course and everyone who will attend!

ACT

A ran across a very cool Christian ministry today called the Association of Christian Therapists- with the subtitle- the healing presence of Jesus in healthcare: mind, body, spirit

Intriguing... From their Web site-

Members are committed to Jesus Christ and are open to integrating his healing ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit into their lives and work. The Association has strong Catholic and Christian healing roots and invites and encourages members of all Christian denominations to join in its mission.

Good stuff! And they have a lot on their Web site. A journal on Christian healing, links, regional groups, etc.

AND

They are hosting a retreat this weekend at a hotel at BWI airport focused on healing. Fr. Richard McAlear, a priest who travels internationally and who is known for his healing ministry, is the main speaker and celebrant.

As part of the retreat (and open to others) is a healing mass around 7:30pm on Saturday night, June 7. More info about all of this can be found on Fr. McAlear's schedule.

So, what ACT does, is very impressive. So often I don't see the medical field integrated with healing - and vice versa. The integration achieved in the mission of ACT is impressive.

Finally, their final statement of purpose is very relevant to ChristLife's evangelization ministry-

Witness: To train and equip members in outreach and evangelization; To liaise, network and collaborate with individuals and organizations with similar and complementary visions and missions; To initiate, encourage and support scientific research dedicated to testing and demonstrating the holistic benefits of Christ-centered healing methods and techniques, and; To creatively impact the field of integrative medicine with Christian spirituality.

This type of association is akin to what the Pope has been referring to as a "movement" in the Church. A reality many Catholics are unaware of. But, increasingly the Church is calling structures in the hierarchy of the Church to be open to movements.

On May 18, 2008 Pope Benedict addressed the hierarchy of the Church regarding the movements-

“Go out to meet with much love the movements and new communities; let us make an effort to know their reality adequately, without superficial impressions or reductive judgments.

"It also helps us to understand that the ecclesial movements and new communities are not a problem or an extra risk that further weighs on our grave duties.

“No! They are a gift of the Lord, a precious resource to enrich our whole Christian community with their charisms. Thus, a confident welcome that gives space to and values their contributions in the life of the local Churches must not be lacking.”

Yeah buddy... But certainly a challenge which calls for prayer-

Lord Jesus please help your body in the United States to work together - clergy and laity, black and white, english and spanish speakers, charismatic and traditional, conservative and liberal, catholic and non-catholic - to build your kingdom - to hasten the coming of your kingship! Come Lord Jesus heal our divisiveness and wounded hearts! Come Holy Spirit, make us one!

Papal Prayer Intention for June

Every month the Pope publishes what his prayer intention is for the Church and asks us to join in the intention.  This month reflects the heart of ChristLife’s ministry:
 
"That all Christians may cultivate a deep and personal friendship with Christ, in order to be able to communicate the strength of His love to every person they meet."

AMEN to that!