Jesus is the way!

One of the fruits of the Second Vatican Council and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Catholic Church in the 1960s is the new movements and communities – which the Pope quite frequently speaks of. One of these new communities, the Neocatechumenal Way, was recently approved by the Vatican. Zenit news interviewed Kiko Argüello, one of the initiators of the Way. The Way has a strong emphasis upon baptism, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit – all wonderful things! Here is an excerpt from the interview:

Q: Why is baptismal catechesis the key to evangelize modern man?

Arguello: Because baptism opens to us the door of the Church, participation in divine nature. As St. Paul says, "For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

The problem of the man of today is that, because of original sin, he lives everything for himself; he has placed himself at the center of the universe, substituting God as the center of his person, and does not realize that he lives enslaved, condemned to live for himself. This causes profound suffering, because the truth is something else; because God is total love, total giving to the other that he has shown in Christ; man suffers because he doesn't love like Christ.

In countries where transcendence has been denied for years, where God has been denied, as in the former Communist countries, the rate of suicides is very high, because happiness is to live in the truth, and truth is love. And this original sin can only be erased through baptism.

That is why it is important to call men back to the faith, through preaching, the proclamation of the kerygma, the proclamation of Christ dead and risen. When Peter makes this proclamation on the day of Pentecost, the people are moved and ask him what they should do. Peter replies: "Be baptized and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The first baptismal fonts were pools -- the Council talks again of immersion -- to which the neophyte descended by steps. This first form of baptism represents perfectly what this sacrament means: death of the old man and resurrection to new life, to man regenerated by the Holy Spirit, who can love and give himself. That is why the crucified Christ is the true image of the free man.

Q: Is this, therefore, the answer to secularization?

Arguello: Of course. How can man be free of the sin that acts in him? Only Christ can free man, make him able to love others, make him share in his divine nature. This is something fantastic that changes man's life; it must be told to the whole universe; the world must be re-evangelized.

As Pope John Paul II said, this new evangelization requires new ways, new contents, and this is what God has inspired through the Way. Now that the statutes have been approved, we can offer this Way to bishops and to the entire Church, to carry forward the new evangelization.

Amen! I hope this article hits you, because it definitely hit me and made me realize how important it is to carry on this new evangelization to the world. People are spiritually dying to know the love of Jesus Christ! How can I live in this freedom of Christ and not share it with others!

What did you get from this article? Comments?

ACT

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

Intriguing... From their Web site-

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

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

AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cardinal: God Sending Eager Evangelizers

Below is a wonderful story from ZENIT news.

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Calls Movements and Groups an Answer to Church's Needs

By Jesús Colina

VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2008 (Zenit).- New movements and ecclesial realities are part of God's answer to the Church's need for a new evangelization, says Cardinal Paul Cordes.

The cardinal, who is president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, affirmed this Sunday when he took possession of his titular see, San Lorenzo in Piscibus, home of the San Lorenzo Center, which Pope John Paul II established 25 years ago as a center to welcome youth to Rome.

When still a vice president of the Pontifical Council for Laity, Bishop Cordes was entrusted with founding the center.

And now as a cardinal, the prelate said he considers himself committed in a particular way to the new evangelization. The red hat, he affirmed, is about more than just participating in conclaves for the election of a new pope.

Cardinal Cordes said he chose Pentecost to take possession of the titular see because the feast is an invitation to the new evangelization, since "the fire, the flame of the Spirit of God wants to set others ablaze."But, "where are the missionaries?" the cardinal asked. And he answered that God already considered years ago that the Church would have a need for evangelization.

"Since the middle of the last century, he has brought men and women in movements and new [ecclesial] realities to awaken in the Church enthusiasm for evangelization," the prelate contended. "He has given them the grace to speak in a fascinated and fascinating way about Jesus Christ, to enthuse people about the following of Christ, to find in Jesus of Nazareth -- just as he is proclaimed by the Church -- the center of their very existences and the fount of a plentiful life."

"These groups are not new walls between consecrated and laypeople, between mission in the Church and mission in the world," Cardinal Cordes continued. "This is not about canceling the diversity of ministries and responsibilities: They seek to awaken in every state of life a love for Christ, our brother and Lord, since from him alone comes salvation and joy."

"Despite aggressive secularization, which wants to bring all of us to the idolatry of the 'I,' they keep Christ as the star that guides their activities," he said. "It's not that they are 'more perfect' Christians. They are Christians like all of us. But they are special since God has prepared them better for the decisive challenge of today: the new evangelization."

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We at ChristLife have benefited greatly from the “new movements and ecclesial realities.” In fact, sometimes, we feel like we are part of an emerging new movement of Catholics committed to following with our whole hearts Jesus and proclaiming the person of Jesus Christ to all the world. Yet “this movement” has no formal name or boundaries. It brings together bishops, priests, religious orders, lay movements, organizations, and individual lay Christians of all denominations – all with a burning heart to reveal to this world, Emmanuel, God is with us “in the face of Jesus of Nazareth” (Pope Benedict).

In fact I was at my sister’s graduation at Mount Saint Mary’s University on Pentecost Sunday – and Baltimore’s Archbishop O’Brien gave the commencement address (read Archbishop’s recent letter of encouragement to ChristLife) . And I was expecting – you know – the usual stuff about “go out and serve the world” and “be a leader” and “make a difference.” Well, he did talk about those things, but at a critical moment during the address, as he was recalling the Pope’s recent visit to the US, he said-

Who am I? What is my purpose? How can I realize my potential?

These are searching questions, rooted in every heart since Adam and Eve. But they are so rarely asked, much less answered by your contemporaries. Truth demands an answer. Faith answers, Jesus Christ. Benedict XVI again to the youth at Dunwoodie, New York:

…truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who never fails us; the One whom we can always trust… ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ.

Bicentennial graduates: Have you discovered or perhaps re-discovered Jesus Christ here? And will you share that discovery with others as you depart with your Mountain memories? Do you believe that he is the only ultimate measure of the truly human being? Do you find in him, in his life, his preaching, his example the model of true leadership?

What an encouragement! Read the entire commencement address.

This whole theme of focusing on the centrality of the person of Jesus – is one of the hallmarks of Pope Benedict XVI. He is constantly calling Christians and all people to friendship with Jesus Christ. From the summative and final sentence of the Foreword to his latest book, Jesus of Nazareth, he writes-

“it struck me as the most urgent priority to present the figure and message of Jesus in his public ministry, and so to help foster the growth of a living relationship with him” (xxiv).

And if you didn’t catch any of his message while he was here in the US recently, listen to the first few minutes of the “Pope Podcast” below – we have an awesome clip of him talking about the centrality of Jesus. Always good to hear. Come Lord Jesus!