Discovering Christ--Third Week

Last Thursday we held the third session of Discovering Christ. Dave gave the talk, "What Did Jesus Come to Reveal?" We had about 60 or so people come, including new people, which was wonderful. I think it all went really, really well. My small group had a great discussion after Dave's talk and of course, the service team continued their great work by providing yet another fabulous dinner. :-)

Personally, the talk (which was about God's unfailing love) was pretty meaningful to me. Over the past few years I've struggled with understanding the crucifixtion, why Jesus died such a brutal death.

On Thursday night, during Dave's talk, it hit me. Dave was saying that God loves us and will forgive even our worst sins if we repent. And I realized that, in my own life, it's hurt to forgive those who have hurt me--even more so when they're people I love. So it all made sense: God, who loves us a billion times more than we could fathom, demonstrated on the cross how much it hurts Him when we sin.

I know, it's pretty basic. But it's fantastic that it finally clicked.

So Discovering Christ can have an impact on both participants and leaders, seekers and committed Christians.

Pretty cool to see the ways God works.

Here are some pictures from last week:




Guests eating dinner at the Friary.




Waiting for the talk to begin.




Pete kicking off the evening.




The beautiful dining room we hold dinner and the talk each week.

Last night we held the second installment of our Discovering Christ series. Turnout was even better than last week; about 60 young adults gathered for dinner, discussion and the talk, "Why Does Jesus Matter?"

It was my first experience with Discovering Christ, and I thought the evening went really well. The other people in my small group were very enthusiastic and it seemed that the message had touched their hearts. I'm looking forward to next week.

Here are a few pics from last night:

Small group leaders and helpers meet in the library to prepare.

Our wonderful volunteers cooking a delicious dinner.

Father Arnold giving the talk, "Why Does Jesus Matter?"

The first night of Discovering Christ

Well, I thought last night went superb... My guess is we had somewhere around 45 or so young adults - with a good healthy service team of probably 25 people to serve dinner, setup, cleanup, etc.

It was lots of fun and I can't wait till next week! Here are couple pics from the night:

Me (left) loading tables, Maria (intern), and Jean (our wonderful plant/artistic person!)

Phil R from Wired Different Media with a priceless face prior to the start

A few minutes before dinner begins

Fr. Arnold with a guest talking during dinner

Discovering Christ!

Blessed be God! With the help of a friend, Phil Rosensteel of Wired Different Media, we produced the following video that shares what Discovering Christ is and are plans to video produce it this summer:

I hope you enjoyed this video. Please consider committing to pray for us and to making a donation to the cause of the Gospel! Thank you!

We also produced second video - based on the same video shoot - that is shorter and ends before the appeal about evangelizing, the video production, and interceding. This version is an "invitation" for young adults we are inviting to this summer's course!

News & Lenten message

Hey blog readers! I hope you are well. In case you aren't subscribed to our e-updates, here is the latest news from our Director Dave Nodar:

February 24, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ our Lord,

Just wanted to touch base with you today and make you are aware of a few things.

Our current newsletter is now available on line and for those of you who receive hard copies it should arrive any day now (if you don't get the hard copy and would like it, please let us know) We have lots developing and we would love to bring you up to date in the newsletter!

We just returned from meeting with Archbishop O’Brien, our bishop here in Baltimore. He was very gracious and encouraging our work and very concerned to see the mission of evangelization moved forward in all the ministries of the Archdiocese. Please pray for him.

Also, since we begin Lent tomorrow, I am including a link to Pope Benedict’s Lenten Message. It is a wonderful message on fasting.

Finally, as you will read in the newsletter we are very busy with the Discovering Christ course and are preparing to video produce the course this summer, with the course aimed this time at young adults. Would you fervently join us in prayer for this project? We need committed intercession for every aspect of the course, for young adults to come as guests, for the grant money for the video production (please consider making an online donation), for team workers, for the teachers (Fr. Arnold and me) for the Lord’s anointing!

Thanks for standing with us in our passion to spread the news of the love of our Father!

Your brother,

Dave Nodar
Director

My Exceeding Joy!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, & Happy Epiphany! Wow, what a wonderful time of year. I love it. My Christmas tree is still up in my house. Ally and I are holding strong till this weekend when the Christmas season according to the Church is up.

Christmas break! Well, my wife and I did a bunch of awesome things over the break, family visits, roadtrip to Philly (to see this awesome painting of the Annunciation), and the annual Jesus Retreat. This retreat, ever first or second weekend in January, for young adults is a really awesome time of renewal in faith and a great way to jumpstart the new year!

Carol evangelization! Another thing over the Christmas holiday was a caroling expedition we did with some students and leaders from our UMBC Discovering Christ work. We went in my neighborhood in Catonsville... And besides being freezing cold due to the mid-20s temp plus 20 mph wind, we brought lots of joy that night to many people... It struck me, as we were seeing "joy to the world!" which so profoundly announces the real reason for Christmas, that we weren't just singing to show others are superb voices (ha!), but really praying our words of joy about Jesus would find "good soil" in the hearts of the listeners.

So that was a blast.

-snip-

So, joy has been a personal theme. Not to mention, the main tag line Scripture from the Jesus Retreat was, Psalm 43:4,

"Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy."

Next, I found myself singing a line from "I Have Found," a Kim Walker song, from a new excellent worship CD, Here is My Song:

"I have found a peace that plows on through the storm, I have found a joy, that jumps over sadness, I have found a love, that lights up every room, I have found... I've found You!"

Beautiful! Wow! Isn't this the heart of evangelization? Sharing our joy?

Then yesterday, I picked up a Word Among Us Press magazine showing their newest titles for Winter/Spring 2008 and on the front cover is a new book by Pope Benedict: The Joy of Knowing Christ. From the description of the book:

"Knowing that there is a God who is good, who knows us, who is near to us-this is truly the gospel, the good news that brings us joy. And the Holy Father is the bearer of good news in these fifty-five reflections on passages from the gospels."

Finally today, I read the Pope Christmas address to the Roman Curia (the group of cardinals and priests that help the Pope out in his role as the "successor of Peter").

"The Holy Spirit gives us joy. And he is joy. Joy is the gift in which all the other gifts are included. It is the expression of happiness, of being in harmony with ourselves, that which can only come from being in harmony with God and with his creation. It belongs to the nature of joy to be radiant, it must communicate itself. The missionary spirit of the Church is none other than the impulse to communicate the joy which has been given."

So, pretty cool that "joy" has been popping up so much. Thank you Holy Spirit! We love you!

Have you encountered this theme in your life or relationship with God recently? How has your joy affected others in moving forward the Gospel? What about the joy of others?

Pictures from UMBC Discovering Christ

We just finished our fifth Discovering Christ course! We had a wonderful experience this time around at UMBC. This is the second time we've presented this course on campus.

Each time we've had 20-30 students coming to learn more about Jesus and His relevance to their lives. All sorts of students from different racial, religious (though majority grew up Catholic), and family backgrounds.

Julie's group eating dinner

Ejiofor's group eating dinner

Dave giving a talk

Fr. Arnold giving a talk on the Holy Spirit day retreat

Students at the Holy Spirit Retreat

Dave and Pete with Fr. Richard Gray, Chaplain to UMBC

Final picture at the Celebration Dinner!

Are we evangelizing in our parishes?

Recently a man who had seen a TV episode of The Choices We Face, on which I talked about evangelization, contacted me. As a result he called me for support and clarification on some of what he was experiencing. He had formerly been an evangelical Christian, was now a Roman Catholic, and wanted to continue to evangelize people to Christ within the context of his parish. His parish was the diocesan Cathedral, so he wrote his Bishop asking how do ‘we’ evangelize
people to Christ in our parish? He understood the place of RCIA and had been through it himself, but was asking, what else do we do? He was simply trying to understand how the parish evangelized. After respectfully writing three times and receiving no response he decided he had apparently gotten his response.

I have often heard this type of concern voiced by Catholics regarding their parishes or (arch)dioceses.The questions raised go like this: What are the steps we are taking to make evangelization our priority mission? What is our evangelization plan and process for my parish? Does anyone know the evangelization game plan in our parish so that we are all know what is expected of us and how we can support it? If evangelization is really a priority to us as Catholics, why isn't it reflected in the budget? Do we know that it is the universal calling, privilege and responsibility of every baptized Christian? Do we as Catholics realize this incredible calling given to each of us isn’t intended to be some abstract, irrelevant educational exercise we hear and vaguely remember, but rather is the power of the Gospel that can change the lives of people we encounter who desperately need good news! Is anybody being taught how to personally evangelize in our seminaries or parishes?

There are many Catholics (clergy, religious and laity), who are life long Catholics, who are raising these questions about evangelization, in addition to brothers and sisters who were formerly from other Christian traditions. I for one being a committed ‘cradle Catholic,’ would like to publicly express my gratitude for those of us who have come from other Christian backgrounds and have a deep personal commitment to evangelization. Thank God for their zeal! Oh that all Catholics would be so concerned for those around us to know the love of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior!

The fact is we have Catholics who want to evangelize and don’t find the necessary support or means to do it as parishes. The Church teaches that the laity are intended to be in the front lines of evangelization in our neighborhoods and in the market place. The laity are crucial in the new evangelization and they need the support of their priests to get out into the harvest fields and spread the good news! Evangelization is after all not an isolated act: it is ecclesial. (See Pope Paul VI’s, EN, 60).

This issue of parish evangelization is a very serious pastoral challenge for the Church here in the United States. Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, speaking recently at a conference held in Rome on "The Parish and the New Evangelization," stated: "The Church exists only if it evangelizes, and the same is true for the parish. If a parish does not evangelize, it is only a building." Read the full article

The Magesterium teaches that evangelization is “the reason the Church exists.”(EN, 14) The universal mission of the Church we are taught is to be lived out at every level, in all institutions and in the lives of every baptized Christian (Mission of the Redeemer, 3). The US Conference of Bishops stated in “Go Make Disciples,” A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization, that the Bishops want “to make evangelization a natural and normal part of Catholic life and to give evangelizers the tools and support they need to carry out this ministry today.”

The bishops evangelization plan was written back in November 1992. It is worth asking ourselves as parishes how we are doing with evangelization becoming a natural and normal part of Catholic life in 2008? Since the place where the rubber meets the road for most people in terms of their Catholic life is the parish, what are we doing?

Three Steps parishes can take

I would like to offer three practical steps that we can take as parishes that can help us move forward in making evangelization the essential mission. I am not going to develop these points here, we do that in our Building Evangelizing Eucharistic Communities seminar. I am simply pointing out three practical areas worth parish staffs and councils discussing and considering in order to take some steps to move forward.

1. Provide ongoing opportunities for people to encounter Christ Jesus as Lord within the context of a welcoming relational community (of the parish). As a parish we need to have regular ways of inviting people to encounter the Lord Jesus, both for parishioners and those not connected with the parish.
Courses like Alpha, Life in the Spirit seminars and ChristLife’s Discovering Christ course are effective examples of courses that are offered over several weeks.
Retreats that evangelize people like Cursillo and Light of the World are also means of evangelizing people to Christ and fuller life in the parish.
Special events. Special events such as a music concert, a film, or our Christmas and Easter liturgies. These Masses have incredible potential for lovingly welcoming our annual Catholics to the parish through par the intro to the Mass and in proclaiming clearly at the homily the reason for the celebration of the Incarnation or Resurrection of Jesus and what it means for you! Also, having some type of event, course or retreat, to invite everybody to, which the presiding priest would personally invite all attending to come to. Having extra greeters who could pass out a welcoming leaflet and invitation to whatever it is we will offer to connect them to the love of God and our parish!

2. Develop an ongoing process of initiation in the parish that includes both actual evangelization of the participants (point one above) and practical life formation/catechesis. I am not talking about RCIA here (which is essential and needs to be taught well and in an ongoing manner). But here I am talking about formation (discipleship) for daily living as a Catholic follower of the Lord, e.g., How to have a personal prayer life; how the sacraments sustain and strengthen our daily life; reading Scripture as God’s word; Christian relationships; service and evangelizing, learning to deal with the world, the flesh and the devil, etc. Here at ChristLife we are piloting a new course entitled, Following Christ, which teaches on these basics of following Christ as Catholic disciple. We also have some video courses that help in this process.

3. Foster Community as part of the process. True interior conversion, the work of the Holy Spirit, is most effective when it occurs in the content of relationships. Without authentic Christian relationships within the context of the parish it is hard to expect anyone to make the shift from being ‘conformed to this world’ (See Romans 12:2) to a transformed Christian worldview and lifestyle. To live authentic Catholic lives we need each other! We can establish small Christian communities that spontaneously develop and flow out of the two previous points above if we make it a priority to pastorally care for their development.

We would be happy to personally talk with you or someone from your parish more about evangelization in your parish, if you would like. Contact us at: info@christlife.org May we all take active concrete steps to incarnate the calling of Christ our Lord and the Church to evangelize!

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.

We discovered Christ at OLPH

We just recently wrapped up with the Discovering Christ course at OLPH with over 100 adults hungering for Jesus! The course went for seven weeks with topics such as: The meaning of Life, Why do I need a Savior?, the Holy Spirit, etc. Fr. Erik Arnold, the Pastor of OLPH, and Dave Nodar, the director of ChristLife, were the speakers throughout the course.

It was amazing to see the willingness of so many members of the parish to help out in numerous ways to make the course run smoothly and effectively. A service team of about 30 parishioners helped with small group facilitation and other technical aspects of the course. Three women of the parish used their artistic talents by making flower presentations every week for the tables, and a group of parishioners cooked incredible meals every week. To see a photo album of some highlights from the course click here.
It was a tremendous blessing to be a small group helper and to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ with the members of my group. The most amazing thing, though, was seeing the Lord impact the hearts and lives of the participants in a personal and unique way. Below are some of the testimonies they shared of the Lord impacted them during this course:

“This program came at a really good time in my life. I needed it and I think the Holy Spirit is working through me to get me through a tough time.”

“It hit me that Christ is God’s love sent down for us.”

“I think the biggest miracle for me is something is happening inside…this is just the beginning and I’m very hopeful.”

“I’m a very shy person and the night before the course I asked the Lord to remove the spirit of fear from within me…and I found myself speaking to the members of my small group without fear.”

“During the retreat I asked Jesus to reveal Himself to me, and I just surrendered…and I’ve noticed a change in my life and my perceptions.”

"Ever since I started coming to these sessions a complete peace has come over me. I am more relaxed and calm even during stressful times because I know God is in total control and I have nothing to worry about or fear about."

"I feel that the emptiness in my life is beginning to be filled by learning more about my faith and sharing with others."

"My personal conversion happened on training day. I fully committed myself to living for the Lord and I am so excited and happy about this rebirth. This is the BEST gift I could ever and will ever receive - everything else in life is icing on the cake. Praise God."

"I was spiritually bankrupt and seeking Jesus. Now I see things in a different way - my perception has changed through noticing God and Jesus at work in my life..."

Praise the Lord for all He is doing to show us His love and radically change our lives! If you have experienced the Lord "breaking into" your life please comment on this blog and share what the Lord has done in your life with us! For He "is able to do far more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us" (Ephesians 3:20).

Jesus Saves!

"We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." - 1 John 4:13-14

What an incredible witness to share with others the amazing things God has done in our lives and His saving power! Our friend Jen King who went through ChristLife's Discovering Christ and Following Christ courses, has a powerful story of the Lord saving her and drastically changing her life! It is such a privilege to know Jen and her story is such an inspiration to me!
To listen to her testimony click here or press play below:

Discovering Christ Session 2

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8

God makes this promise to us, and if we take that first step and seek Him, He will give us all we need. Last night we had the second Discovering Christ course at OLPH. Dave Nodar gave a talk about the person of Jesus Christ and who He is in our lives. He opened up scripture and gave examples of the many signs and wonders Jesus worked and how his disciples and followers were so amazed that they were continuously exclaiming, "who is this man!" That is the very question that everyone in my small group was asking themselves last night, who is Jesus Christ in my life? It's a question worth pondering.
One point Dave Nodar made that really hit home for me was that our faith is about a personal relationship with Christ much more than belief in some doctrine. We must first ask ourselves the same question that Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15-17), then doctrine and everything else can follow.

Please continue to pray for every person that attends this course that we may all accept Jesus into our hearts and lives and believe with our whole being that He is our Lord!

Discovering Christ Session 1

“It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”
- St Paul to the Ephesians 1: 11-12, The Message translation

We began the Discovering Christ course at Our Lady of Perpetual Help last night, April 2nd. Father Erik Arnold, the Pastor at OLPH, gave a talk on the meaning of life and how there's a reason why were are here. He sent out a letter to the leaders of the course to sum it up and invite prayers. The letter is below:

Dear Discovering Christ team, Thank you for making our first night such a great success! The evening flowed well, the food was great, the small group leaders did a great job, the set-up created a wonderful atmosphere, and, above all, I know that much prayer went into the night. Thank you! I believe so deeply in what we are doing and I am grateful to the Lord that you share the same desire to help others experience the Lord in a life-changing way that will also bring about renewal in our parish and Church. Next week Dave Nodar will offer the teaching as we look at the question "Why does Jesus matter?" Please continue to pray, asking the Lord to open hearts to conversion. Thank you again for your hard work and dedication! You are in my prayers
In Christ,
Fr. Arnold

All in all I'd say it was a great night - good food, songs, fellowship with our small groups, and a profound teaching! During the small group discussion the Associate Pastor, Fr. Larry Adamczyk, went to the Church and prayed for each of the leaders by name. Prayers are definitely the power behind this course, please keep us in your prayers!

Getting ready to evangelize at OLPH!

Things are stirring at Our Lady of Perpetual Help these days! A team of 20-30 adults are readying for a new evangelization initiative ChristLife is sponsoring - Discovering Christ.

We met together as a service team for prayer, worship, planning, etc. this past Saturday. The day went quite well. After mass and some super breakfast food - Dave Nodar began the day with a talk on evangelization and Discovering Christ. Quoting from Pope Paul VI, we all joined Dave in reading from On Evangelization in the Modern World,

"The churches have the task of transposing the gospel message, without the slightest betrayal of its essential truth, into the language of the people... It loses much of its effectiveness if it does not use their language, their signs, their symbols, if it does not answer the questions they ask and impact their concrete lives."

This was one of the main points I pulled out of the day. We need on one hand to "transpose" the authentic Gospel and on the other - we need to speak in the language of the people and aim at impacting people's "concrete lives." To borrow the title of a fellow evangelization ministry's blog name, we need to engage in intentional discipleship - and especially in intentional evangelization. Looking at the Gospels, we can see that osmosis is not how Jesus made disciples or converts.

Moving on throughout the day I was struck by the parallel between our training day at OLPH and Acts 2:42,

"And the disciples devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers."

apostles' teaching = Dave's exegesis of Scripture and Church teaching on evangelization
fellowship = during our delicious pizza meal provided by Larry (see below)
breaking of bread [eucharist] = started the day with mass
prayers = all throughout the day we had times of praise and intercession

So, all in all - it was a wonderful day. One more thing I forgot to mention was - the fact we were joined by Dianne Martin, former staff member, who is now the Catholic coordinator for Alpha USA. She gave an excellent presentation on small group pastoral care. It was wonderful having her with us.

Please pray for Discovering Christ at OLPH and visit their Web site for more information about being a part of the course.

The Lord's strategy

We are now moving forward with Discovering Christ on several fronts now. Exciting stuff!

What's our strategy? Well, I hope the Lord's. During morning praise & prayer at ChristLife last week I shared a Scripture I was reminded of-

"Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish." John 21:4-6

The lesson I took from this "word" is that we could "fish" all day long and not get anything - unless we are in tune with the right way of doing things - with Jesus Christ.

Back to Discovering Christ...

We want to make available the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all humanity. And we want to equip Catholic communities to enthusiastically and intentionally do this.

So we are now praying for God's anointing to rest upon the Discovering Christ course. We also - following up from our meeting with Archbishop O'Brien - are focusing our efforts here in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Part of the strategy is to hopefully see great fruitfulness here locally and then leverage this to others across the nation.

Where locally? Well, we've done the course at Crucifixion Parish, St. Agnes (for young adults), UMBC campus ministry (Newman club), and now we are preparing to get started at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH). And, we are really excited about doing it at OLPH! Our Board member, Fr. Erik Arnold, is the pastor here and has a really solid vision for parish renewal and evangelization. Plus, my friend Erin, is the youth minister and has been doing some awesome stuff with the youth there! Our Lady pray for us!

At the national level - we are working with two other Board Members - Bert Ghezzi and Michael Timmis. Bert, a senior editor for the Word Among Us, is helping us put together a manual - so we can make Discovering Christ exportable - in a similar fashion as Life in the Spirit. Michael, who is connected with a lay apostolate who does some great work - Regnum Christi - hopes to run a version of Discovering Christ down in Florida for men in his pseudo-theology on tap series (or he might call it beer n' bible - "stealing" the name I used for a bible study I did in Baltimore at J. Patrick's pub).

So, we are excited about all of this, please pray for us and if you have any comments, suggestions, connections, etc. - please let us know! It may be all a part of the Lord's strategy.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6

Many have never had the chance to know Christ

Dave's blog account isn't posting - so here are his latest thoughts...

“Sometimes Catholics have lost or never had the chance to experience Christ personally, not as a mere value, or paradigm, but as the living Lord, the way the truth and the life.”
- Pope John Paul II, address to US Bishops


Recently I attended a meeting (non-religious in nature) at which a woman shared how she had been raised as a Catholic, gone to Catholic schools, and yet had never come to know God personally until she had been an adult for many years. And, she went on, it was not in the Catholic Church that she learned about this loving relationship that brought her great peace and change of life. I have heard similar stories hundreds of times over the years.

This weekend I participated in one of our Discovering Christ retreats for young adults. It was a wonderful time in which there is time for prayer, teaching, fun, laughter, fellowship and explicit opportunity to ask Jesus to be the priority of their lives - the Lord and Savior of all they are. Additionally it was a time when people could ask Jesus to baptize them in the Holy Spirit. See Luke 3:16. (In theological terms, the participants were praying for renewal of the grace of the sacraments of initiation ). It was wonderful to be there and witness the work of grace among us!

Now here is the point I would like to make, many Catholics in and outside of our parishes, have never had the chance to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Many have never even been told that this was a possibility. They need to hear clearly proclaimed the person of the Jesus Christ, and the explicit invitation to personally encounter him as Lord of their lives. And they need to be told how to do this. We as Catholics - clergy, religious and laity, who have been graced with knowledge of the Lord, must take up the commission of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20) to make him known, loved and followed.

The call of the Catholic Church presently to make evangelization, once again, the essential mission of the Church, in practice and not just in theory, calls for everyone of us to pray and to take action to help the many who do not personally know him to have the opportunity that Jesus made possible by his death and resurrection.

People are hungry for God. As Catholics we have been entrusted with a missionary mandate to tell them Who is the bread that will satisfy their hunger!

Father, use us we pray! Grant us courage to be fools for Christ, not ashamed to share the Good news with others who have the right to know. Grant us the power from on high to be witnesses to Jesus, in our lives and explicitly in our words. Grant our parishes and organizations fire to move and make available the means of helping others to know, Jesus is Lord! Amen.

What's happening at UMBC

While most college students are enjoying the last of their weekends, finishing up last minute homework, and getting ready for the start of a new week, 30 young adults are joining together Sunday nights at UMBC for fellowship, teaching, and prayer! That’s not something you see everyday.

ChristLife has joined forces with UMBC’s Newman club to start a 6-week course called “Discovering Christ”. The purpose of this course is simply to introduce or reaffirm in young adults the love of Christ and the impact of having a relationship with Him. The course consists of: dinner, fellowship, prayer, a teaching, dessert, and small group discussions. The themes of the courses include of variety of topics such as: “The meaning of Life”, or “Why do I need a savior?”. There are about 30 young adults that come each week, including a core group of 10 young adult leaders who help to facilitate the different aspects of the course.



The vision of this course can be summed up by the inspiring words of Pope Benedict XVI when he said:

"Those who allow themselves to be led by the Spirit understand that placing oneself at the service of the Gospel is not an optional extra, because they are aware of the urgency of transmitting this Good News to others...I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to your contemporaries."
- Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Message for World Youth Day '08, July 24, 2007

The Pope does not give us the option; he makes very clear the necessity of sharing your faith with others. Hopefully through this course young people will enter into a relationship with the Lord and it will have a ripple effect as they pass it on to others.

As a participant in this course, I can testify to the impact that is has had on my life and the lives of many other young adults. This past week my small group discussion was about the love of God as our Father and how it is constant know matter what we do or how many times we fall. It was a tear filled conversation as we reflected on our own failings and the freedom that comes with surrendering them to the Lord. We ended the discussion each saying a brief prayer giving our individual burdens to the Lord and allowing His love to free us! It was a very powerful experience for me, and hopefully the rest of the group!

Happenings at ChristLife

Well, all sorts of good things are happening at ChristLife these days. Recently its just been two of us in the office, as one of our co-laborers in the vineyard of the Lord, is hanging out in the vineyards of Tuscany, Italy. Nice!

So what are we doing? First, we are worshiping everyday to draw close to Jesus and praying that we follow Him where He leads us to go (the picture is of our tiny little chapel in our office where we begin everyday).

Beyond that we are helping people know and follow Jesus through two courses: Discovering Christ and Following Christ. Right now we are hosting Discovering Christ for about 25 young adults at a local university (UMBC) and hosting a small Following Christ course - to follow-up our Discovering Christ Course at St. Agnes, for 10-15 young adults at ChristLife.

Discovering Christ takes its cue from a recent speech to the German bishops by Pope Benedict:

"We must reflect seriously on how we might carry out a true evangelization today, not just a new evangelization, but often a true first evangelization. People don't know God, they don't know Christ. A new paganism is present, and it is not enough just to maintain the community of believers, although this is very important. I believe that together we must find new ways of bringing the Gospel to today's world by preaching Christ anew and by establishing the faith."

Both courses run into mid- to late November. Please pray God continues doing great things among the young adults attending.

Finally, have a wonderful day! I'll close with a random inspirational verse from the Apostle for whom I'm named:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you... Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls!" 1 Peter 1:3-4,8-9

The Meaning of Life

Wow, what a grandiose title! The Meaning of Life. Well, this was the title of the first talk of ChristLife's Discovering Christ course, which we kicked off last night for about 60 young adults (18-32) at St. Agnes, in Catonsville, MD.

Having experienced it at his parish, Fr. Erik Arnold, a ChristLife board member, sums up the course in our upcoming newsletter:

This new course is designed to bring men and women into an encounter with Christ and the Church through teaching, fellowship and prayer together. Over the course of six weeks participants hear solid teaching that proclaims the heart of the Gospel message, inviting them to reflect and respond in a small group of friends that offers support and encouragement over the six weeks. Each evening begins with dinner together, followed by a teaching and then a chance to meet together in small groups. While the dynamic seems simple, something special begins to happen over the course of the six weeks as hearts begin to open, friendships develop and people begin to see and experience Jesus in a different way than they had before.

--

Back to the meaning of life. I was reading the Intentional Disciples blog today and in it the blogger speaks about how atheistic / agnostic the Northwest is - especially Seattle. She gives an excerpt from an unbeliever journalist writing in The Stranger-

Last week, 850 people packed Town Hall to hear a presentation by Christopher Hitchens, in town to promote his new book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, which was number one on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Hitchens's stance in favor of war in Iraq has made him a polarizing figure among your standard-issue Seattle lefty crowd, but Town Hall was bursting with people ready to embrace the message that religion is a "Bronze Age myth."

"This stuff," Hitchens said, referring to religion, "is not to be believed." And the crowd roared.

Hitchens's argument—posed to a fully complicit choir, admittedly—was made all the more compelling because no one answered the call to debate the author about the existence of a god or the validity of religion. Seattle could not produce one radical Fundamentalist, sober moderate, or disinterested scholar to stand for the holy side. That's telling (we're the only city that has failed to meet Hitchens's challenge to debate all comers), but it's not what made the event resonate.

That is sad. I guess part of me would love to go visit this guy's little atheist rallies - to offer a challenge - but I realized that "God" is not a subject to be disproved or proved. We cannot put the first cause, the Creator, the Good, the supernatural, to the test under our natural laboratory conditions - any more than we can prove or disprove the existence of "love" - unless we look at what surrounds it.

Love is one of the most powerful principles in all of humanity. If we don't live to love others and to receive love - we are less than human - as John Paul II reminded us. And as 1 John tells us - God is love!

And He is so beyond the "tests" we put him under. Last night I read the Gospel where the Pharisees come to Jesus and ask, "Teacher, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" And Jesus "aware of their malice" responds, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ... And he said to them "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard it, the marveled; and they left him and went away (Matt 22).

Jesus' logic was so beyond them. It reminds of something CS Lewis said (and I paraphrase) - the questions we ask God are so limited in view of his super-rationality - that often our questions, or prayers are like asking God "is a square, orange or red?" What!? Exactly - it makes no sense. And the Pharisees of today - come to put the King of Kings to the test and they miss the whole point.

God is real to me in a myriad of ways- in the laugh of a little child, in the wonder of nature that surrounds me, in the dedicated witness of Christians who live for the sake of selfless love, in the beauty of the message and coming of Jesus, in the consecration of the body and blood of Christ, in the sacrament of God's love and reconciliation, in the hundreds of saints and biblical characters that lived their lives in extraordinary ways, and in my conscience.

"For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died." (1 Cor 5:14)

Father, Creator of the whole world, Jesus, Word of life, and Spirit, Giver of Life - convince us even further of this love - and help our lives to be a continual offering of love for this broken world. Amen