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?

Enter the mission where you are!

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. Matthew 9:35-10:1

The heart of God is moved by compassion for those who are lost, confused, broken, wandering without knowledge of His love and forgiveness for them. So much so that the Father sent the Son so that, whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The reality of this truth is perfectly revealed in the Lord Jesus in his passage from Matthew. He taught that God’s reign was here, now! He demonstrated this good news that the Lordship of God by healing every disease. In compassion he was and is moved to urge us to pray for more workers to carry on His mission. But in addition to praying, which is the essential work of evangelization, He wants us to go into the harvest fields and do what he did! See the last couple verses above!

The Lord Jesus has you strategically placed right where you live daily life. Pray for eyes to see the opportunities he has already arranged for you to engage, be kind and befriend those you get to encounter each week, and be ready to share about the Lord’s love for you and them, anytime and anywhere! Fasten your seat belt and watch how he uses you to help others know Him! He is moved by compassion and urgently wants all to enter into his life through his people, the Church!

Fr. Stan Fortuna

Podcast 46 includes an awesome interview with Fr. Stan Fortuna, a passionate Franciscan Friar of the Renewal known for his talents in rap music. He is a great example of someone who is completely using his gifts for the Lord, no matter what it takes!
Listen in to this podcast below about Fr. Stan's prophetic mission in the Church, his zeal for Christ, and the inspiration of John Paul the Great in his life:

Redemptorist Superior General speaks on laity

Our friend, Fr. Rast'o, a Redemptorist from Slovakia, sent us this video. It is a Q&A that Slovakian lay Catholics and Redemptorists had with the Superior General of the Redemptorist Order - Fr. Joseph Tobina. He makes some excellent points on the role of the laity in evangelization and encourages his religious order to collaborate with laity in the mission of the Church.



What did you like about what Fr. Joseph said?

I personally was impressed by his warmth of personality and clear statements about concentrating on Jesus Christ. Without which the mission of the Church comes down to planning and strategies only - and isn't fired by the love of Jesus for those that are lost and far from Him.

Pope: Evangelization Is "Urgent and Necessary"

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

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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.”

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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.

Call to Mission!

I recently was able to speak with Ralph Martin about his conversion and the call to mission and a missionary spirituality! It was an incredible experience for me to speak with someone who is so knowledgeable about the faith - not just head knowledge but from the depths of his heart!

Ralph Martin is the President of Renewal Ministries, the host of the weekly television program The Choices We Face, has written several books on Catholicism and the saints, and works with several universities and seminaries.

In ChristLife's 44th podcast, Ralph shares about the call to mission in the Church. Also, Jen, a friend of ChristLife, shares the incredible things that God has done in her life! There is also great news about Ben Stein's new documentary called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

To listen in to this podcast click here, or press play below:

Missionary of Jesus’ Resurrection in Turkmenistan

A dear friend of ChristLife’s, Hana Simcikova – a young woman from Slovakia – wrote us an update on her missionary work in Turkmenistan. Her work is very inspiring. She first came across ChristLife during training Dave Nodar was doing in Eastern Europe during the 1990s. We met up with her in 2007 in Slovakia – and Pete also had the chance to interview her for a podcast on her missionary work.

Here is her letter:

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"'There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has risen from the dead and now he is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you will see him." Look! I have told you.'
Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples." (Mt 28)

Dear friends!

Almost a year ago I was writing to ask for your help with the Turkmenistan mission.

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU! Thanks so much to every one of you for your prayers, thoughts, financial support, emails, greetings, and every kind of support that helped us to serve in Turkmenistan last year. You have a special place in all that is going on in that country, and in the small Catholic community there.

The Catholic Church in Turkmenistan still lives underground.
During this mission we were able to meet many more native Turkmen people then during our first mission. We were blessed through those simple, mostly Islamic, people who were open to talking about God; they are so thirsty for His love and presence. We prayed together with them and they were touched by the Father's love through our Lord Jesus! Hope and peace changed their desperation. Their simple and joyful testimonies about Gods miracles strengthened our faith.

In two years, since our last mission, many things are still the same in Turkmenistan. There are still just two catholic priests for the whole country. However, there are many changes – much more people are coming every day, coming to hear about Jesus, seeking His love and help, ready to give Him their all. Mostly they are poor people who suffered a lot in their lives. When they come to Jesus they are blessed by His forgiveness, deep healing and new life in Him! We prayed over them almost every day and we led all the meetings for catechumens, youth and kids, which was so helpful for the priests. We also prepared simple evangelization training, where we taught them how to proclaim the Good News. We saw how the first small prayer group was born--just a few people who want to worship Jesus, and serve others by intercessory prayer.

The Priests also sent us to other places in Turkmenistan, where we spent some time with people sharing Gods love with them. More and more people were coming every day, hungry for His word which many of them heard for the first time in their lives. Their desire for more priests and missionaries in their towns didn't surprise us.

We could see the big gift of God that we have at home– daily Mass and Holy Communion especially.



I personally was especially touched by the warm-heartedness, kindness and hospitality of the poorest people in the village called Arzuw. They told us things like: "If I didn't meet you two years ago, today I would be addicted to heroine and I would also sell it as the rest of my family does." "We know, God has sent you to us – just for me!" – told with thankful heart.

I also met a woman at the market place, whom I had promised two years ago that I would come back. Her first reaction when she saw me at the same place was: "Ooooo – she came!" and invitation she invited us to visit her house. I could write a book about that meeting. Their clear eyes spoke about clear hearts, which we could also visit. In the family, everyone works from the sunrise to the late night. Love, respect and care are given to each other in all small situations, where members of that Islamic family speak so nice about each other, pray together and have God among them – it is a small (or big?) miracle in that nation.
We had a very nice time with the youth during retreats we prepared for them. Their testimonies among their friends and schoolmates bears fruit, and more and more youth came later to the meetings, to pray together, to hear Gods word, or just to play together.

We wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you!

When I was on the plane going into Turkmenistan, I saw a desert named Kara-Kum from above. It looked like a lot of small rivers, or water sources but they were empty and dry. I was thinking about the land, which is ready, rivers which are waiting for water, water which will bring the life to that land. And a prayer grew up in my heart – giving thanks to God and asking Him for living waters of His presence and love to flood this country.

I apologize I haven't updated you about our mission in Turkmenistan earlier. Thank God for these last months. They were full of challenges. I was working on my dissertation, our mission in Turkmenistan was very intense, coming back home I defended my PhD, and started my new job, so I can make some money, pay my loans, and go back to Turkmenistan as soon as possible.

Please, pray for Turkmenistan, pray for the priests. Pray for those, who are going to be baptized tonight; pray for more missionaries in that country; pray for us to be ready to give our time, money and all lives to that mission when Jesus calls us again. I hope that time will come soon!
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the free given gift of being a part of that mission, for every miracle of healing, deliverance and conversion. Thank You for your faithfulness, for your favor, and that we can come personally closer to You!

I wish you a blessed Easter. May your Easter season be filled with the grace and love of Our Risen Savior!

Hana Simcikova (in the black shirt in the above picture)
Slovakia

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Isn’t that an awesome testimony of how our Risen Lord is still using his Church to accomplish his great mission to save souls! If you would like to donate to Hana’s work or get on her update email list – please contact us

Reaching Young People for Jesus!

"The need to proclaim Christ boldly and courageously is a continuing priority for the Church; indeed it is a solemn duty laid upon her by Christ who enjoined the Apostles to 'go out to the whole world, proclaim the Good News to all creation.'" -Pope Benedict XVI, December 2007

Many young people do not know the basic Gospel message of Jesus Christ - either they have never heard it or it has never hit home in their personal lives. It is the duty as laid out for us by our Pope to share the gift we have received with everyone we encounter. Jesus said if we trust in Him and spread his message he is able to do "far more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).

He is the same God of the Gospels, he can perform the same healing and miracles in and through His people as He did then - but we have to ask in faith! I went on a nine month Catholic evangelization trip around the US with NET ministries. I traveled on a team with 10 other young adults (ages 18-30) in a huge van with destinations to Churches and schools to perform retreats for high and middle schoolers. During that time I was able to see God work in ways I never thought possible, in my own life and the lives of the people I was ministering to.

I specifically remember one instance that may seem trivial but God worked in such an amazing way that I will never forget it. I was giving a talk on a retreat and I was nervous because I had just come back from a two day trip home for my friend's funeral, so I felt like I had nothing to give at that point. After my talk one of the high school girls asked if she could talk to me, she didn't know why but while I was talking she had this feeling that she could trust me and should share some things that were on her heart. She told me about how her father had died and she just wanted to know there was a father figure who loved her. After experiencing the loss of a friend my heart went out to her and we cried and prayed together for almost the rest of the retreat. When I left she thanked me, and I asked for what, and she said "for being there".

It's amazing how small situations can greatly impact our lives and the lives of people around us if we are just open to the healing power of Christ! A friend of mine, Danielle, shares in ChristLife's newest podcast about God's healing power in her brothers life. Also on this podcast is an interview with Mark Berchem and Christopher Kraker, the Director and Associate Director of NET ministries, and a news story about a man who was raised from the dead by the power of prayer! To listen to this podcast click here, or press play below:

Missionary Parishes

This is a great article from ZENIT that came out last Wednesday.

Vatican Aide: Evangelization Not a Choice, But a Mandate

By Gisèle Plantec

ROME, JAN. 30, 2008.- If a parish does not evangelize, it is nothing more than a building, said a Vatican official, who offered four practical steps for transforming a parish into a missionary center.

Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, affirmed this today at a conference under way in Rome on "The Parish and the New Evangelization."

The congress is organized by the Emmanuel Community and the Pontifical Institute Redemptor Hominis. It ends Friday.

"Why should a parish be missionary," Archbishop Ranjith asked.

He explained that God's call of love mandates a missionary character for Christians: "Jesus loved his brothers and sisters to the extent that he was dedicated totally to their salvation -- this is the basis of evangelization."

The archbishop, who led the Diocese of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka, before being named to the Roman Curia, called evangelization a "sign of the maturity of our faith."

"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," he said. “Evangelization is not a matter of free choice. It is an obligation of our faith, the perfect expression of our charity."

Eucharist-centered

Archbishop Ranjith highlighted the importance of the Eucharist for a parish focused on the mission.

He offered the example of an Irish parish that organized "Eucharistic adoration in all the parishes. As a result, there are more vocations now. The Eucharist attracts -- the Lord attracts people."

"The Eucharist is at the center of evangelization," the archbishop affirmed. "The Eucharist must generate faith. In some parishes it is celebrated in such a manner that it does not generate faith."

The 60-year-old prelate also focused on the role of parish priests. He said that priests should understand their role by saying, "'I am useless by myself but useful in his hands.'"

Archibishop Ranjith also contended that parishes should not focus on their community alone, but "make a determined effort to reach the lost ones."

Hints

He offered some "practical steps" for giving parishes a missionary character.

"The parish community must move away from a maintenance model to a missionary model -- if the only thing we do is repair the buildings, this will kill us spiritually," the archbishop said.

Secondly, he continued, parishes need "to move away from a spirit of pessimism to a spirit of optimism." And he noted the danger of becoming the Gospel's example of a "lazy servant."

The third practical step dealt with the role of laypeople. Archbishop Ranjith encouraged priests who still think the “mission is the sole responsibility of clerics," and that "priests should decide everything by themselves" to "share with the laity."

“Each layperson is a potential missionary," he affirmed.

The fourth step was related to the third. The archbishop encouraged involving as many people as possible: "associations, groups, men, women, youth and even children -- and be courageous to go into uncharted areas, look for new methods and means."

Why not me?

Archbishop Ranjith answered questions from the conference participants after his address.

A priest from the Netherlands, who presented his country as “the most secularized country in the world," asked for encouragement "because we are so marginalized -- we try to find any kind of means, like the media, to show our presence."

Archbishop Ranjith answered, "It is good to use all the means available and to think that sometimes 'dreams can become reality'" but "the most important thing is to feel strong and trust in God … and to pray."

He gave the example of his diocese in Sri Lanka, which has a large non-Christian population. Catholic laypeople go and visit the Muslim or Hindu families, he explained, and "they have tea together and discuss about religion."

"The sad thing would be to give up," the archbishop affirmed. "Be strong, be courageous, you will succeed."

A priest from Belgium asked if closing parishes reflected a lack of faith. Archbishop Ranjith offered the example of a spiritual partnership between a Sri Lankan diocese and a German one. When a German priest died, Sri Lanka offered: "I will send you the best priest I have."

The German diocese considered the proposal but eventually decided to close the parish. This "'we are managing on our own’ means closing churches," Archbishop Ranjith lamented.

Following his address, the archbishop told ZENIT that parish priests' zeal and spirit of love are key. He offered the example of St. John Vianney, patron of priests, as an example. He also suggested Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and St. Francisco Xavier as models. If St. Francis could go to the other side of the world and proclaim Christ without even knowing the language, "if it was possible for him," he said, "why can't it be possible for me?"

Checkout Sharing Christ for a practical resource on how to share your faith with others and Church teaching on the new evangelization.

Prayer for Missions

O Christ, help us
to be bearers of
your life-giving
Word everyday.
Send your Holy
Spirit and fill us
with a burning
zeal to carry your
good news across
the nations. Make
us instruments
in bringing your
peace to restless
hearts around the
world. Amen

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?