missional living

I bumped into this 4 minute video today on "missional living." Its one of the core values of an evangelical church called The Village Church. The pastor in the video gives a really encouraging and challenging call to intentionally living life (wherever you are and whatever you do in your vocation) with the understanding that God has specially created you with a purpose to reach the people around you.
It is the same message we give in our Sharing Christ program, in the last session- "Missionaries: Anytime, Anywhere."

So what do you think? Any examples of you seeing God use you in your unique circumstances?

Love is calling you

I was driving to work this morning, and the song "The lost get found" by Britt Nicole came on the radio. At first I thought "who is this?" because it sounded very mainstream, and checked to see if I was on the right radio station... Sure was... So I listened and ended up really appreciating the message, and felt like God was speaking to me through this song. Here are a few of the lyrics that stuck with me-

Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found....

There's a girl on the streets, she's cryin'
There's a man whose faith is dyin'
Love is calling you....

Why do we go with the flow
Or take an easier road?
Why are we playin' it safe?
Love came to show us the way
Love is a chance we should take....

There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it

I especially like the line "love is calling you." Isn't this the ultimate reason for evangelization? Does it really have much to do with "I'm right" and "you're wrong" and so I'm going to correct your errors? Or should love (or His voice of love) be the reason and motive?

I have no desire to tell others about Jesus naturally, other than as St. Paul exclaims "for the love of Christ urges us on!"

Here is a short interview with Britt on her new song, and why she wrote it:

If you want to get the song, you can buy at iTunes or listen to it streaming from her myspace page.

What do you like about this song?

From every tribe and tongue, people and nation

I own three Bibles (NAB, NIV, and NRSV-CE) and two New Testaments (both courtesy of the Gideons, one in KJV English and another in Russian). And, thanks to the internet, dozens of other translations and concordances and even the thoughts of the doctors and fathers of the Church about Scripture are available. (Check out Biblia Clerus if you haven't yet).

The blog, Intentional Disciples, recently alerted us to the fact that millions of people around the world don't have the same opportunity. According to the Forum of Bible Agencies:

Languages with some or all of the Bible - 2,454. Of these, 438 have an adequate Bible; 1,168 have an adequate New Testament; 848 have Scripture portions. Languages needing Bible translation work to begin - 2,251 representing 193 million people.

I'm quite simply stunned. We've put men on the moon, eradicated polio, brought down the Berlin wall and we STILL have this much translation work to do?

Intentional Disciples has a great story about how translating the Bible into a new language has changed lives. For the Kalmyk people in Republic of Kalmykia in southern Russia, the availability of the Bible in their own language has helped people see that Jesus is not the God of the Russians, but the God of all peoples.

And every time that happens, we're one step closer to:

They sang a new hymn: "Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.

You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth."
(Rev. 5:9-10)

Glory be to God.

Charity in Truth and Evangelization

Today, Pope Benedict XVI released his third encyclical letter, the highly-anticipated Charity in Truth, which is concerned with the global economy, human progress and Catholic social teaching, such as the preferential option for the poor and the sanctity of life.

Of course, though, since all truth is rooted in the Person of Jesus Christ, and God is Love, evangelization and the need for Christ is part of the encyclical too. The pope writes (recalling Pope Paul VI's encyclical Populorum Progressio):

...authentic human development concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension[16]. Without the perspective of eternal life, human progress in this world is denied breathing-space. Enclosed within history, it runs the risk of being reduced to the mere accumulation of wealth; humanity thus loses the courage to be at the service of higher goods, at the service of the great and disinterested initiatives called forth by universal charity.

That's the great challenge for our era. The mentality that "whoever dies with the most toys wins" can be rampant and pervasive in a consumerist culture--which pretty much directly contradicts Matthew 6:19-20:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.

Pope Benedict XVI continues:

Moreover, such development requires a transcendent vision of the person, it needs God: without him, development is either denied, or entrusted exclusively to man, who falls into the trap of thinking he can bring about his own salvation, and ends up promoting a dehumanized form of development. Only through an encounter with God are we able to see in the other something more than just another creature[17], to recognize the divine image in the other, thus truly coming to discover him or her and to mature in a love that “becomes concern and care for the other.”[18]

I think right now, with the shaky economy affecting millions of people, that God is hearing a few more prayers and I hope, at least, that more people are realizing their own dependance on God. Me, as a recent graduate enjoying my internship while simultaneously job-hunting, I'm becoming quite aware of how much I need Him to find me a job. :-)

I also really like that the pope points out here that we can only truly see others if we see them through the love of God. Otherwise, they can easily become mere creatures--rather than those made in the image of God--or, even worse, burdens on society.

Most specifically to evangelization, the pope writes:

The Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, for its part, is very closely linked with development, given that, in Paul VI's words, “evangelization would not be complete if it did not take account of the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of man's concrete life, both personal and social.”[30] “Between evangelization and human advancement — development and liberation — there are in fact profound links”[31]...Testimony to Christ's charity, through works of justice, peace and development, is part and parcel of evangelization, because Jesus Christ, who loves us, is concerned with the whole person. These important teachings form the basis for the missionary aspect[32] of the Church's social doctrine, which is an essential element of evangelization[33].

I think this part highlights one of the great things about Catholic evangelization historically--it shows concern for both body and soul, temporal matters and eternal. As St. Peter Claver (missionary to African-American slaves) put it, "We must speak to them with our hands by giving, before we try to speak to them with our lips."

However, this can also be one of our greatest temptations and downfalls in the evangelization: to assume that we don't have to preach the gospel with words (think about that St. Francis of Assisi quote). Of course feeding the poor is essential--it's one of the seven corporal works of mercy.

But the poor also hunger for the Bread of Life and thirst for the Living Water. We would be making a huge and tragic mistake if we didn't tell them about Jesus, too.

May our hunger for the Eucharist lead us to identify with all those who hunger for Truth and Love and give us courage to share "the reason for our hope" (1 Peter 3:15) with them.

Thanks, Pope Benedict, for yet another great encyclical.

peanuts

Love it :)

ChristLife will be stocking this "evangelism" book this Fall! :)

Hat tip: Fr. Mike at Intentional Disciples

Steadfast in purpose. An amazing example!

Recently while prayerfully reading Acts chapter 11:19-26, I was struck, once again, by the early church's missionary zeal.

It is the account of those who were scattered because of the persecution in Jerusalem and how they continued to witness to Jesus as Lord! They weren't silenced or intimidated by the persecution.They couldn't stop talking about this good news of what God had done in Jesus of Nazareth who was raised from the dead. Some of those who were evangelizing began to share with non-Jews, Greeks, about the Lord Jesus. As a result many came to believe! The Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to see what was happening and to help build up the new believers. When he saw the grace of God evident in the lives of those who believed, he was glad. Barnabas then exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord and steadfast in purpose (vs 23). I felt like that was a word for me and for those of us who serve in and our friends of ChristLife. It is a good word, isn't it? Something we all want in our walk with the Lord Jesus. To be faithful to him and absolutely steadfast in our purpose.

While in Michigan last week presenting a mission for two parishes, the pastor of St. Therese's shared a YouTube video that really illustrates faithfulness and steadfastness in purpose. Take a look and give thanks to the Lord for this man! You may not feel called to do what he did, but the key point that all of us should admire is his steadfastness in doing what he was called to do!

May we all have such passion to make the Lord known to others! May each of us be steadfast in purpose.

No ordinary people, no mere mortals!

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities… that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

My dear friend Bert Ghezzi quoted this section of C.S. Lewis’ sermon in one of his books and it has had a profound and lasting impact on with me. In fact I carry a copy of it in my wallet and another inside the cover of my prayer journal. I do that to remind myself daily of the reality of what happens in my interactions with others and especially to re-read at times when I am tempted to be less than loving with others. I am called to relate in the love of Christ towards all I encounter. To relate to others as if Jesus were living my life and relating to them through me.

This can mean exercising patience at times, say with a grumpy customer service representative. Or being a truth teller with a friend who is veering into sin in her sharing about a mutual friend. In all our interactions with others it calls us to bear in mind the truth that I cannot be neutral in attitude towards anyone. No “ordinary” people. No mere mortals. Everyone is on the way to heaven or hell – no exceptions. Everything that I say or do can help or hinder them.
That is a real reason for seeing all that we do as evangelizing others to the love of God.

“Father, open our eyes to see people as you do and as they really are, created for eternity. Through Christ our Lord we pray, Amen! “

ChristLife on YouTube

Okay, so we are finally on YouTube. Apparently its the thing these days. We decided to put up a 5 minute trailer of our Sharing Christ series. This seven session series via DVD or CD is all about training Catholics and other Christians in how to share the message of Jesus and His impact on our lives - with those around us. Its simple and very powerful. Check out the intro:

Finally, we here at ChristLife aren't the richest people. So, how did we get this video production done? Our Father. Pretty much. We met a wonderful Baptist man who happened to 1) love Catholics, 2) be all about evangelism, and 3) be an award-winning producer. All of that equals a miracle. And the amazing thing is - stuff like this happens (like in the plural) at ChristLife. Thank you Father!

The hairbrush and the love of God

Beth Moore is a Christian Bible teacher and author, and is a married mother of two daughters. This is one of her experiences.

As I read it I knew the reality of this story and encourage you to open your heart to the deeply personal love of God in Jesus Christ. Also, pray and ask the Lord to make you available to the opportunities he provides to carry his love to others in our daily lives!

On April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing.

I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones.The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere?

There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern,and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please,no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane."

Then I heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said,Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair." I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies .I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?""May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that."At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush." "I have one in my bag, "he responded.I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted.

I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands,remembering to take my time not to pull.A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old mans hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes -felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while.The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?"He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand,was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known.

It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted,you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way. .. .. all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. "We Have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father,full of grace and truth."John 1:14

Amazing! What are your thoughts and comments? Ever been in a random situation like this?

Catholics in the Media

It is encouraging to see how the Church can use the media to evangelize, and how many people it can reach. Tom Peterson is the founder of Catholics Come Home and uses television and the Internet to reach alienated Catholics and draw them back home to the Church. Zenit News Agency came out with an article about Tom Peterson's efforts and the amazing results they are producing:

TV Ads Bringing Catholics Home
6,000 Respond to Phoenix Campaign

By David Hartline

PHOENIX, Arizona, JULY 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- For many who have left the Catholic Church, there is often a great desire to come home. However, fear and guilt often lead many to put off the gnawing decision to return to the Church. Not knowing where to turn, many who were once faithful feel lost and ashamed.

Tom Peterson, founder of Catholicscomehome.org, has found television and the Internet to be just the place to reach out to those wishing to come back to the Church.

Earlier this year Peterson tested his methods and ideas using an advertising campaign geared toward the 3.5 million who live in the Diocese of Phoenix.

More than 6,000 people inquired and came back to the Church via the Catholicscomehome.org Web site, and many more came back to Catholicism by reporting directly to a parish near their home. One priest reported that 16 people came to him for confession after they saw the television ad.

"One of the biggest surprises for us was the amount of inquiries from those who are not Catholic," said Peterson. "About one quarter of those expressing an interest in the Catholic Church are from those who have seen our commercials or visited our Web site and want to better understand the Catholic Church, or have actually made the decision to become Catholic."
Reasons

When sorting out what caused many to leave the Church, Peterson said "about 90% of those who left the Church can't give a good reason."

He also explained that many can't express why they want to come back. Many simply say they felt something was missing.

"They often want to come home but don't know how. They feel uncomfortable about coming back and don't know what to do -- when to sit and when to stand, and what to pray. We try to ease those fears and remind them of God's desire to see them come home," the director said.

Once they come back to Church, he added, they feel renewed. "They experience the Eucharist again and the power of confession. They feel their hunger for the truth has been met and a feeling of joy overcomes them."

When asked why he thought his brief television commercials had such an impact, Peterson said: "Our commercials are a basic reminder of who we are, the Church Jesus founded, the Church that Jesus entrusted to Peter and every pope who followed him.

"We are the Church that gave the world the Bible. When we quickly explain these facts and use the Bible to do it, people really respond. They admit that either they never really knew this or simply forget."

Testimonies

Peterson said he is often greeted with surprise as to how well Catholicscomehome.org has done. Several testimonies sent to his site show the impact it has had on viewers.

After seeing the commercials on Phoenix television, a visitor named Michael wrote, "It is highly effective and so very much needed at this time."

Another from an Angela said, "I've been away from the Church for over 35 years and over the past 20 years I have become agnostic. [...] For me to actually look this site up from a TV ad says a lot."

For some the commercials brought a great sense of joy. David wrote, "I wanted to commend you on the commercial. Wow. That was really well done. I'm so proud to be Catholic!"

Even non-Catholics wrote into the Catholicscomehome.org Web site to praise their efforts. Jean said, "I am not Catholic, but I think your commercials are extremely well done, tasteful and persuading."

Still another e-mailer, Deborah, was so impressed that she wrote, "I am interested in the Catholic Church. What do I have to do to convert?"

Beginning

The project has even caught the attention of the Holy See. Recently, Peterson said, he discussed the initiative with Cardinal John Foley, prefect of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Claudio Celli, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

While the results have surpassed his expectations, Peterson explains that this is only just the beginning. The group has plans to launch similar campaigns this winter in St. Louis, Lincoln, Colorado Springs, Sacramento, Atlanta and Fargo.

"We are ramping up to 2010," he added, "when we hope to start a national advertising campaign starting with the 2010 Super Bowl."

Peterson takes no credit for his success. He simply says: "The world needs Jesus. We need to remind others how much they are loved by Jesus and needed by our Church family."

Pope: Evangelization Is "Urgent and Necessary"

Great article from Zenit news. (The bold emphasis below is my own)

*********

Pope: Evangelization Is "Urgent and Necessary"
Affirms Missionary Nature of Church

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2008 (Zenit.org ).- The evangelizing mission of the Church remains "urgent and necessary," Benedict XVI told members of the general assembly of the Pontifical Missionary Works.

The Pope received in audience members of the assembly Saturday, during which he reaffirmed that “the whole Church is missionary by nature” and that “mission regards all Christians.”

The Pontiff explained that the must be attentive to the demands of proclaiming with frankness and courage the truth that saves. “This apostolic commitment is a duty and an indefeasible right, the proper expression of religious liberty, that has its corresponding ethic-social and ethic-political dimensions.”

The Holy Father then invited every local Church to collaborate with other Churches, becoming the interpreter of a “mission of communion.”

“Against the seeds of disunity among men,” Benedict XVI said, “that everyday experience shows to be so rooted in humanity because of sin, the local Church opposes the generative force of the unity of the Body of Christ.”

“Mission is a duty about which one must say ‘Woe to me if I do not evangelize’ (1 Corinthians 9:16),” the Pope added, citing the words of the Apostle Paul, who personally experienced that “redemption and mission are acts of love,” because “those who proclaim the Gospel participate in the charity of Christ.”

“It is love that must move us to proclaim to all men with frankness and courage the truth that saves,” he explained. "A love that must radiate everywhere and reach the heart of every man. Indeed, men await Christ.”

******

Comments? your thoughts?

I love the last line, its so true, "indeed, men await Christ." If I don't believe that, then I feel like I'm imposing my beliefs on someone... But if I do know it, I realize that I give away Christ who is that which all men hunger for, though many don't know it - to be Him.

To grow in how to "proclaim to all men with frankness and courage the truth that saves" checkout our Sharing Christ program and our podcasts.

U.S. Papal Visit 2008!

What an incredible gift of hope for our nation to experience the presence of our Holy Father! I had the honor of attending the Papal Mass in New York on April 20th. It was an inexpressible blessing to experience the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI, gathered in unity with so many Catholics to receive Christ through His vicar on earth! As a young adult, it is so impacting to have such a humble, wise and joyful Shepherd who so deeply loves the youth! Below is an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI's homily in New York last Sunday:

Real freedom, then, is God’s gracious gift, the fruit of conversion to his truth, the truth which makes us free (cf. Jn 8:32). And this freedom in truth brings in its wake a new and liberating way of seeing reality. When we put on "the mind of Christ" (cf. Phil 2:5), new horizons open before us! In the light of faith, within the communion of the Church, we also find the inspiration and strength to become a leaven of the Gospel in the world. We become the light of the world, the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14), entrusted with the "apostolate" of making our own lives, and the world in which we live, conform ever more fully to God’s saving plan. This magnificent vision of a world being transformed by the liberating truth of the Gospel is reflected in the description of the Church found in today’s second reading. The Apostle tells us that Christ, risen from the dead, is the keystone of a great temple which is even now rising in the Spirit. And we, the members of his body, through Baptism have become "living stones" in that temple, sharing in the life of God by grace, blessed with the freedom of the sons of God, and empowered to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to him (cf. 1 Pet 2:5). And what is this offering which we are called to make, if not to direct our every thought, word and action to the truth of the Gospel and to harness all our energies in the service of God’s Kingdom? Only in this way can we build with God, on the one foundation which is Christ (cf. 1 Cor 3:11). Only in this way can we build something that will truly endure. Only in this way can our lives find ultimate meaning and bear lasting fruit.

The final segment of Pope Benedict's homily was directed toward young people of America! His words are so encouraging and challenging - I hope that myself and the young people of America can truly give our hearts to Jesus and apply the words of our Holy Father to our personal lives. The closing of His homily is below:

Yesterday, not far from here, I was moved by the joy, the hope and the generous love of Christ which I saw on the faces of the many young people assembled in Dunwoodie. They are the Church’s future, and they deserve all the prayer and support that you can give them. And so I wish to close by adding a special word of encouragement to them. My dear young friends, like the seven men, "filled with the Spirit and wisdom" whom the Apostles charged with care for the young Church, may you step forward and take up the responsibility which your faith in Christ sets before you! May you find the courage to proclaim Christ, "the same, yesterday, and today and for ever" and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in him (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10; Heb 13:8). These are the truths that set us free! They are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world -- including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother’s womb. In a world where, as Pope John Paul II, speaking in this very place, reminded us, Lazarus continues to stand at our door (Homily at Yankee Stadium, October 2, 1979, No. 7), let your faith and love bear rich fruit in outreach to the poor, the needy and those without a voice. Young men and women of America, I urge you: open your hearts to the Lord’s call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than this: to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his life for his friends (cf. Jn 15:13)? In today’s Gospel, the Lord promises his disciples that they will perform works even greater than his (cf. Jn 14:12). Dear friends, only God in his providence knows what works his grace has yet to bring forth in your lives and in the life of the Church in the United States. Yet Christ’s promise fills us with sure hope. Let us now join our prayers to his, as living stones in that spiritual temple which is his one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Let us lift our eyes to him, for even now he is preparing for us a place in his Father’s house. And empowered by his Holy Spirit, let us work with renewed zeal for the spread of his Kingdom. "Happy are you who believe!" (cf. 1 Pet 2:7). Let us turn to Jesus! He alone is the way that leads to eternal happiness, the truth who satisfies the deepest longings of every heart, and the life who brings ever new joy and hope, to us and to our world. Amen.

To get more information about Pope Benedict's visit to the United States go to Zenit News.

Youth Arise!

"The term evangelization has a very rich meaning.[4] In the broad sense, it sums up the Church’s entire mission: her whole life consists in accomplishing the traditio Evangelii, the proclamation and handing on of the Gospel, which is 'the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes' (Rom 1:16) and which, in the final essence, is identified with Jesus Christ himself (cf. 1 Cor 1:24)" (Doctrinal Note on Evangelization).

The people of the Church are called to evangelize, and many young adult have the desire but lack the means to do so. Ryan O'Hara, executive director of "Youth Arise", is very involved in the training of young adults to be apostles for Christ! In ChristLife's most recent podcast, Ryan shares his testimony and the exciting opportunities for young adults to gather together and learn more about their faith and how to share it with others.

Listen in to ChristLife's most recent podcast here, or press play below:

Shadows Prove the Sunshine

So begins the fourth song on Switchfoot's album "Nothing is Sound." And isn't it true, somehow in the darkness of this day - we find ourselves looking heavenward with open hands - to the Savior of all mankind?

I went to mass today the second day of the great Feast of Christmas with my girlfriend and afterwards a few guys invited me to go downtown into Baltimore to feed the homeless and pray with them. Brilliant idea!

One interaction particularly impacted me. A man named Tony who was sitting under the roof of some stores. He looked 50 or so. We gave him some food, socks, hugs, kind words, prayer, and medical attention. He was visibly moved, shaken to tears to sobs in gratitude to Jesus.

He used to be an organ player for his church and we closed by singing "amazing grace" with him. Very powerful.

This interaction in the "shadows" of Baltimore really impacted me. As I changed his socks and smelt the urine and funk in which he sat - I knew I was serving Jesus Christ in "the least of the brethren." And he was so blessed by the food, etc. - but it seemed our prayers for him and the song we sang with him - impacted him the most. And not just the exterior fact of our "prayers" - but God himself, I believe, was speaking to Tony - calling him out by name and speaking his love into his heart.

I share all of this to really give glory to God how a homeless man in the shadows can "prove the sunshine." I share to encourage myself, to encourage you, to reach out to the poor around you with your material generosity and with your spiritual generosity. And lets pray for Tony and all those, especially the poor and lonely and spiritually sick, who are far from God's embrace in Jesus this season.

Finally, and fyi the whole idea of combining evangelization and works of mercy is beautifully expressed in a ministry of a couple in the Bronx called Lamp Ministries. Check them out.

Join the Advent Conspiracy

A pretty neat movement of Christians called Advent Conspiracy [AC] has launched a campaign to restore the true message of Christmas. From their Web site, we read in stirring simplicity "Christmas was meant to change the world. Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption."

Checkout out the following video. It is excellent! The whole point is to spend less this Christmas so we can give more to others relationally and to the poor. On their Web site they also have a list of relational gift ideas that may be helpful in considering gift-giving this Christmas.

Beyond this I really like how the dude on the video shares his faith in a simple and down-to-earth (kinda like the incarnation) way :)

The Light of the World!

"The People who have walked in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (Isaiah 9:2)

During this advent season I have been meditating on the anticipation of Jesus becoming man! He came in such a humble way, and because of that He brought such hope to the poor and suffering. It is hard to imagine life without the hope and peace that He brings, and yet many people don't know or care to know Him!

On ChristLife's most recent podcast, random college students answer the fundamental questions - who is Jesus to them and does God have an impact on their daily decisions? It was interesting to see what their veiws were, and how so many of them considered Jesus to be a good man but just not the savior of the world.



Also on the podcast are some testimonies of some students from the same campus who went through Discovering Christ and how the Lord radically impacted their lives. It is so encouraging to see the Lord at work. Hopefully during this advent and Christmas season, Christians will share the light of Christ with all those they meet!

You can listen to the most recent podcast here, or press play below:

Making Disciples!

"Go therefore and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

The calling from the Lord of every Christian is to proclaim the Gospel to the world! I have found that in my own life God provides so many small opportunities to share Him with others. It doesn't have to be standing at a podium in a huge public square (though it could be), but simple, small ways of telling others how Jesus has impacted our lives.

I am a waitress at a restaurant and one day I was waiting on an elderly man sitting by himself. He asked me why I seemed so happy, and I ended up telling him about my relationship with the Lord. It was a great conversation and he talked about his life in the military, and how he knows he needs the Lord more in his life. It is these daily, small opportunities God puts in our lives that can have a lasting impact on people's lives, and I need to be more open to them!

The beautiful thing about sharing Christ is that we are not expected to do it on our own. The Holy Spirit comes and anoints our words so that we are simply instruments of the Lord. Dave Nodar expands on how to share Christ with others through the power of the Holy Spirit in Christlife's most recent podcast "Called to Share Christ". I hope this podcast will inspire us all to enter into the mission field of making disciples by sharing Christ with others!

Listen in to the latest podcast here, or click play below:

Blog Evangelism?

Though I’m thoroughly part of the wonderful postmodern generation - I own a cell phone, blog, email, podcast, surf the Internet, watch Youtube, watch movies – I have never been a huge fan. Two things mitigate against techno-mania in my life: 1) the fact that I love the outdoors, and 2) I have a history degree (ah, I think to myself, wasn’t it so much simpler back in the day...)

So, while I don’t advocate super crazy amounts of time using technology – I do think that if St. Paul used a ship to go across the Mediterranean to proclaim the Gospel, than we should use the modern ship of information technology to proclaim the Gospel. Cardinal Ruini, a top clergyman at the Vatican, sparked this whole blog idea off with his comments the other day: "I don’t understand the Internet, but especially young religious ought to enter blogs and correct the opinions of the youth, showing them the true Jesus.”

Ha, I like that. He doesn’t even use the Internet, and he’s all for using it to proclaim Jesus :) And, while we do need to use technology to evangelize, I think some of us young techno crazy people also need to think twice about the amount of virtual contact we have with people versus real contact – especially when sharing Jesus with others – through a blend of witness and word – something hard to achieve online. For more on this subject see JPII's letter, Internet: A new forum to proclaim the Gospel.

Hat tip to my little sister, Julie for this blog idea.

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!

Bishop Sam is the man

Hey there blog readers! I thought I would mention the incredible good news that God is love and that love is our origin and our destiny! Isn't that great!?

This is just a snippet from Bishop Sam Jacob's address to 250-300 young adults at the Catholic University of America in DC last weekend. It was a powerful young adult festival sponsored by the great folks at Youth Arise.

After his talk, my sister Julie and I got a chance to interview him as part of ChristLife's 31st podcast! He shares his thoughts on the Youth Arise event, on being Christian in today's world, and sharing God's love with others. Listen in here or click play below.

Who said evangelism can't be fun?

Well, the one-day 42-mile hike went very well. Four of us "knuckleheads" woke up around 3:30/4 am and drove out to the Mason/Dixon Line (border of PA and MD) and began the hike at sunup around 5:45am.

As I had already accomplished this "feat" in one-day I suppose I was a bit confident in my hiking skills - so I decided to bring 1) lots of food, 2) bottles of water and gospels of John to hand people, 3) a camera, 4) an digital audio recorder for the upcoming podcast on this expedition, 5) assorted survival gear (compass, rosary, bible, guidebook, cigars, etc.), and 6) water for myself. Needless to say, my pack was very heavy - my feet now "bear the marks."

So what does all this have to do with evangelization?

Well, as the last post explained we stopped hikers along the way and asked if they would like a bottle of water and, if the opportunity arose, a mini-version of the Gospel of John (called "The Water"). That went pretty well. We met about 15 or so hikers, most of whom were hiking the whole 2000 miles GAME (Georgia to Maine)! We even met a couple dudes with kilts on - interesting!? But, all were very thankful for water and several accepted the gospels - one dude, who had, I must say, distasteful music playing in his backpack ... accepted the gospel and said, "I'll read it in the next few days." Praise God!

As we left each encounter we prayed for them and went on our way. Who knows what the Lord will do through those random acts of kindness and the gospels?!

While the hike was a success - the physical toll it took on our bodies was quite heavy - as my feet now show. I think we have a greater appreciate of suffering now :) We actually ended up running about 40 - 50 % of the hike (mainly to make up time due to one of the guys getting injured and to slacking off early in the hike).


Anyway stay tuned for a podcast devoted to the hiking trip - with lots of fun details and some teaching on begin missionaries: anytime, anywhere. Also, click here for more pictures from the hike.

Finally, just being out in God's creation was awesome. Seeing the beauty in Brazil this past May, Pope Benedict told the youth:

"When we see the beauty of creation and recognize the goodness present there, it is impossible not to believe in God and to experience his saving and reassuring presence. If we came to see all the good that exists in the world - and moreover, experience the good that comes from God himself - we would never cease to approach him, praise him, and thank him. He continually fills us with joy and good things. His joy is our strength.”

Amen to that!

Communicating Faith

Okay, so the real focus of this blog is communicating our faith to others - especially the personal experience of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not easy, though, to just begin talking with people about Jesus. How many times have I wanted to talk with others explicitly about Jesus and his importance in my life and his redemption and all of that great stuff - but felt like I would offend the hearer?

Well, I have two helps for this. First, Chad, ChristLife's 06-07 intern, and I had an awesome podcast interview with an international speaker and evangelist, named Becky Pippert. The podcast is called Jesus is Irresistible - check it out - it directly addresses the above fears of being "offensive" and makes evangelism much easier!

Secondly, some friends of ChristLife, Greg and Jennifer Wilitz, who have a great podcast called Rosary Army and are also connected with the Catholic podcasting hub, SQPN - are producing periodic short video clips called That Catholic Show. Its funny, creative, faith-building, and inspirational. Here is there most recent clip on "Statues and Icons"



What does this have to do with this blog? Well, a lot. While we don't spend lots of time talking about statues and icons - we do spend a lot of time talking about faith and communicating it to others hopefully. What I love is the way Jennifer explains this aspect of our faith in an easy, light-hearted, and Christ-centered way!

Did you find the video helpful? Why? What can you learn from the way Jennifer communicates elements of faith?

Jesus of Nazareth

Well I have begun to read the Pope's new book "Jesus of Nazareth." The book came out in English on my birthday, May 15 - and so two different sets of people decided to both get me the book (so I had two given to me ... but one is being re-gifted to someone else).

Anyway, I've only read the first chapter - but I have found it thus far a very good read. My main point in blogging is to point out the whole theme of the book, which the Pope lays out in the introduction-

“This book is… my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord.’"

And in sharing his personal search with us - beyond just dry doctrine etc. - he is really evangelizing. And it reminded me that - beyond all my own knowledge of Catholic stuff and biblical stuff - all of that is secondary to my own "personal search" and "personal experience" of the truths of our faith (see the quote from Pope Paul VI at the top of the blog).

This doesn't come natural to us Catholics a lot of times; however, thanks to the good work of Dave and Dianne here at ChristLife, we have some resources to help us to articulate our faith to others in a more personal way. For more on this, see our course Sharing Christ.

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?

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?

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?

Evangelizing and Weakness

I'm a personal fan of Pope Benedict XVI... he is an inspiring 80yr old. I don't know how he does it... must be something about the Holy Spirit.

A few weeks ago at the Easter Vigil he prayed an inspiring prayer at the end of his homily-

“Lord, show us that love is stronger than hatred, that love is stronger than death. Descend into the darkness and the abyss of our modern age, and take by the hand those who await you. Bring them to the light! In my own dark nights, be with me to bring me forth! Help me, help all of us, to descend with you into the darkness of all those people who are still waiting for you, who out of the depths cry unto you! Help us to bring them your light! Help us to say the "yes" of love, the love that makes us descend with you and, in so doing, also to rise with you. Amen.”

The lesson I learned from this passionate prayer - was that we all (including those of us who evangelize) of us fall short and we all have "dark nights," but it is precisely in our weakness that St. Paul says Christ is strong...

I helped lead a high school retreat for the People of God Catholic Community in Nanticoke, PA a few weeks back - and we played a Christian "dating game" to teach the kids a lesson. The bachelor asked three girls all sorts of normal dating game questions (to find out who would be the best Christian among them to date) ... and the girls responded in the character of three stereotypical Christian personalities... the Colgate Christian (always smiling - thinks Christianity is synonymous with being jolly all the time), the Chameleon Christian (changes their character to suit the people they are around), and the Super Spiritual Christian (who couldn't really answer the questions - because she was so busy praying the Rosary and reading the Bible simultaneously!).

The kids loved it and the bachelor too - who ended up choosing the "Colgate Christian" ... but found that he should of chose none of them at the end.

Do you find yourself acting like a "Colgate Christian" sometimes?

What about the Pope's prayer resonates in your heart the most?

When has Christ used you precisely in your weakness to lift up others?