Graduate/STL program in New Evangelization

"I sense the moment has come to commit all the Church's energies to a new evangelization.... No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples."

These words of Pope John Paul II from his encyclical Mission of the Redeemer (#3) have inspired countless new efforts to proclaim and bring the Gospel to people throughout the world. From grassroots initiatives like going out on the streets and sharing the Gospel to ministries like ChristLife to seminary programs.

The following video is an inspiring look at the world's first licentiate in sacred theology in the new evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. The priests and laypeople in the video are inspiring and bring hope to the leadership of the Church effectively responding the Holy Spirit's constant call to proclaim the Gospel!

Come, Holy Spirit

I was reading the Gospel of John the other day and I ran across a few verses that really emphasized how important the Holy Spirit is to evangelization:

And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. - John 16:8-11 (NRSV)

This is so important.

We need the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to show the world what is sin and reveal that God the Father gave us Jesus as a provision for our sins.

We need the Holy Spirit to show us the Righteous One - Jesus Christ - so that we might believe in him. (Think about St. Peter's confession.)

Finally, we need the Holy Spirit to reveal to everyone that Jesus came to save us and condemn the evil one - that Christianity, at its core, is about God's radical love and forgiveness.

Sometimes, I think these points get lost. Too often, Christians are depicted as these sin-obsessed people, self-righteously condemning the world and everyone in it. Which is definitely not who we are called to be.

That's not to say that we should ignore sin or dismiss it as inconsequential. One look at a crucifix reminds us how awful sin is. But it does mean our focus, the basis of our faith, should be that Jesus came to save us, not condemn us, and that grace is at the center of our faith, not sin.

And so we pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

New evangelization needs faithful priests, Pope says

I stumbled upon this from the Catholic News Service today:

Well-prepared priests essential for new evangelization, pope says

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Without well-prepared priests, "the new evangelization" of society will be just a slogan, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Today we see a need for each priest to be a witness of the infinite mercy of God with a life completely conquered by Christ and for them to learn this from the very first years of their preparation in the seminary," the pope said ... Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore was seated in the front row. Pope Benedict said the training of seminarians and priests is crucial for ensuring that "the new evangelization is not just an attractive slogan, but that it becomes a reality." A priesthood candidate's time in the seminary, he said, must be like the time the disciples spent alone with Jesus after being called to follow him and before being sent out to preach the Gospel.

For the full text of the talk, click here.

The new evangelization involves everyone, regardless of their vocation. But, as the pope says, the witness of holy priests is critical. Which also means that an important part of our mission in the new evangelization must be to pray for and offer support to priests and seminarians. How many of us were influenced by the priests in our lives - in good or bad ways?

(On a side note, does anybody remember the name of the organization of lay people whose mission is to support priests and seminarians?)

So take some time today to thank the Lord for holy priests, pray for more men to answer the call to live "a life completely conquered by Christ" and ask the Lord to guide your parish priest. Also, check out the ordination class of 2009, and pray for them - their stories are pretty amazing testimonies to God's persistence, grace and love.

For example:
“People would be surprised to know that I once said at the age of 26 after mass one day, ‘why would anyone ever want to become a priest?’ This was a period in my life where faith, a prayer life with God, etc. were not ‘on the radar’. […] The Lord (thanks be to God) revealed the ‘why’ to me and for that I will be eternally grateful.”
Father David Kuttner
Diocese of Spokane

How do you get to heaven?

Lots of people, Christians and those of other religions or no religious belief at all, believe in heaven. Fewer people seem to believe in hell or at least don’t want to think about it. And now days many don’t seem to give much thought to how you get to one place or the other.

Christ talked about the existence of both frequently, and urged everyone to do what was necessary to go to heaven. As Christians our reason for believing in the existence of heaven and hell is because we believe in Him and He believed in them!

Back in the 1970’s I taught religion at a Jesuit boys high school. At some point during the courses I taught I would ask the question, “When you die what is the reason for getting to go to heaven?” I almost always got the same answers: Because I was good, I didn’t hurt anyone, I was sincere. Rarely was Jesus mentioned as the answer. Many of the students had received Catholic education throughout their schooling yet did not understand what Christ Jesus had to do with eternal life.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6) He also said, “eternal life is this to know you the only true God, an Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

The Church teaches, “By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has “opened heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remain faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into him.” Check it out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 1027

The essential answer for our getting to go to heaven is, Christ. Jesus has “opened heaven to us.” He is the way we can be eternally with God. By his death and resurrection Jesus accomplished what we in and of ourselves could not accomplish - our redemption. It is the love of God made manifest on the cross, bearing our sins, granting us forgiveness and through the Spirit entry into relationship with God. It is God’s initiative, not ours that allows us this access to eternal joy with the Trinity and all of the saints and angels! The Father wants us to be with Him eternally and through the Son has made the way for us be with them, happily ever after! It is our responsibility to respond to this grace of God with faith doing his will in our daily lives.

Let me make one comment on hell. Hell is the consequence of our free will. We can choose it for ourselves. God does not cast anyone into hell against his will. If we truly are creatures with free will then we have the capacity to say no to a loving Creator. That is essentially what hell is. Eternal separation from the One who loves us so much that he allows us to choose to be with Him, or not. Take a look in the CCC, 1033-1037.

The Church also teaches that even those who have not baptized and responded with faith in Christ may be saved (under the impulse of grace) who “sincerely seek God and strive to do his will can also be saved without Baptism (Baptism of desire).” CCC,1258-1261. It is a mystery and thank God He is the judge of all and not me or you! It is not our responsibility to judge who is or isn’t going to heaven when they die.

Our responsibility is to pray for salvation for everyone and to be witnesses of the eternal life that begins here and now in knowing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (See John 17:3 noted above). What is important for those of us who know Christ and are seeking to do his will, is to graciously be available to share the good news of what God has done in Jesus our Lord so that all might have fullness of life here and eternal happiness in heaven! After all, if we believe in a heaven and hell we certainly want to help others to be in heaven and to know the way to get there!

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! “

snow & the Pope on YouTube!

Well, it's a "snow day" for many on the eastern seaboard. We only have an inch or so right now, but for the mid-atlantic and southern folk, that's a blizzard for us :) Though, thanks to the web and phone, many of us can telecommute - including me!

So, the latest Catholic news is that the Pope is on YouTube! Well, you might of figured that. But the big news is that there is now a Vatican YouTube channel with everything available in four languages!

Upon release of this new Vatican YouTube channel, the Pope gave an excellent message on using media for the advance of the Gospel:

It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this "digital continent".

Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: the greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the "Good News" of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people.

Human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: may you become its heralds! The Pope accompanies you with his prayers and his blessing.

Pete interviews Archbishop O'Brien

I had a great privilege two weeks ago that I would like to share with you! I spent a 1/2 hour with Archbishop O'Brien of Baltimore talking about reaching young adults, evangelization, and our vocation to holiness. It was a really awesome opportunity that was very inspiring. The other day I placed the best 15 minutes of the interview on our 52nd podcast. Listen on the audio player below, or click here.

"May those involved in ChristLife and similar apostolic movements truly win the graces of the apostles; the apostles who are, as the Preface tells us in their mass, still responsible for the Church, still involved in the Church, as all the saints are."
-Archbishop Edwin O'Brien

video on the Father's love

For a year or two we've used this video called Lump by a non-profit Christian group called NOOMA. Their mission is to create short films that communicate the Christian message in new ways. Their production quality is excellent. Overall they have 22 short videos in the series. Some of their videos are superb, others have a little bent to them and are "ehhh." Lump is amazing though.

Below is the preview to Lump. It doesn't do justice to the full DVD, even though the whole thing is only about 11 minutes long. If you do ministry or want a new tool for evangelization, I highly recommend buying the DVD.

Here's the description of Lump:

A lot of us have done things in our lives that we’re ashamed of. Some are small things, and some of us have really big and devastating things. Some of us even have things that people close to us don’t know about. Personal junk that we keep to ourselves so we don’t have to deal with it. Because we don’t know how to deal with it, do we? We’re afraid that if we try it’s just going to make everything worse. But no matter how big our junk is, no matter how much what we’ve done has impacted the way other people feel about us or how we feel about ourselves, it hasn’t changed how God feels about us. God loves us, he always has and always will, and there’s nothing we can do to change that.

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!

Catholicism Project

So, there's a pretty neat project underway by Fr. Robert Barron, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, called the Catholicism Project. According to his Web site, Word on Fire, "this epic series will be one of the most innovative productions ever to promote the Catholic faith to the world. Our plan is to go from Jerusalem to Rome to Mexico City and beyond - and use art, architecture, literature, music and all the riches of the Catholic tradition to tell an inspiring story and draw people into the faith." Here's the trailer:

Catholicism Trailer from Nancy Ross on Vimeo

Looks like a pretty awesome production! The main presenter, Fr. Bob, as he likes to be referred to, is a great guy. I've featured him on several podcasts in the past, and we've used some of his video material in our evangelization work. Let's ask the Father in Heaven to pour out his grace and abundant blessing on Fr. Bob's work and his efforts to bring the light of faith to this world! Amen!

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?

Year of St. Paul the Apostle

Well I'm excited. The Church just began on Saturday a year dedicated to St. Paul. He's the man. In the Pope's words:

"Dear brothers and sisters, as in early times, today too Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St Paul. Paul, a former violent persecutor of Christians, when he fell to the ground dazzled by the divine light on the road to Damascus, did not hesitate to change sides to the Crucified One and followed him without second thoughts. He lived and worked for Christ, for him he suffered and died. How timely his example is today!"

"And for this very reason I am pleased to announce officially that we shall be dedicating a special Jubilee Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009, on the occasion of the bimillennium of his birth, which historians have placed between the years 7 and 10 A.D."

Personally, the writings of Paul have had a huge impact on my life. With the Holy Spirit he wrote a good portion of the New Testament. These letters are a valiant and courageous witness to Jesus Christ.

This weekend I went whitewater rafting on the Cheat River in the middle of nowhere in West Virginia (actually a little town called Albright). It was an awesome time! Anyway, we went to confession and mass the evening before rafting (on Sunday) and the priest, Fr. Paul, a Passionist priest from Pittsburgh, celebrated the mass. At the beginning he turned to the group of guys I was with and gently encouraged us to ask for St. Paul's prayers - since the Apostle himself was shipwrecked. We nervously laughed, not realizing the next day we were going on Class V rapids. Though we all did great!

Anyway, instead of a homily, a letter from Bishop Bransfield was read about the Year of St. Paul. It is a very inspiring letter. In it the Bishop challenges us all to take up the mission of Christ in three ways:

"This should be a year when we study and reflect on this magnificent man and his New Testament writings. But we must do more; we must allow our reflection to move us to action and, like St. Paul, to challenge ourselves and others in three important ways: to grow in our personal commitment to Christ, to invite the inactive to return to our communities, and to reach out to the unchurched."

This is the heart and soul of ChristLife. It all begins with our own personal commitment to Jesus Christ and flows on to reaching the inactive and those who've never encountered the beauty, truth, and joy of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.

One final important message from the Pope about this Pauline year:

"Finally, there is one particular aspect to which careful attention must be paid during the various celebrations of this bimillennium of Paul’s birth: I am referring to the ecumenical dimension. The Apostle of the Gentiles, who was particularly committed to bringing the Good News to all people, gave everything he had for unity and harmony among all Christians. May he guide and protect us in this bimillennium celebration, helping us to go forward in the humble and sincere search for full unity between all the members of the mystical body of Christ."

--

Father, in Jesus name, we ask that we would be servants of unity and that we would follow closely the example of your servant Paul this year. Help us to imitate his compassionate, zealous and bold heart as we reach out to those around us. Stir into flame our passion for your Son Jesus. Amen!

Evangelizing in Ireland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Any comments on this article?

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

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

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

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

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

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."

*****

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!

Matt Maher and the New Evangelization

I had the privilege of speaking with Matt Maher recently about the New Evangelization and the role of the Blessed Mother. It was great to hear his reflections about how humility and smallness are the foundation of evangelization, and Mary is our model! ChristLife's 43rd podcast, includes his reflections and a discussion about his new album Empty and Beautiful.

Also on this podcast is a song from Empty and Beautiful called "Great Things" about Mary's Magnificat, and some catching up with ChristLife's previous intern Chad about his experiences in the seminary.

You can listen to this new podcast here, or press play below:

Prayer and Honesty and Action

At ChristLife we bought the DVD series NOOMA by a Christian speaker and pastor named Rob Bell. Each video is 10ish minutes long and creatively presents a Christian truth. Sometimes his perspective leaves me asking a few questions - but I am happy that he is making a really good effort at engaging our culture with the God of truth and compassion and mercy and justice.

Thanks to YouTube, below is his latest video, Open. It is a very powerful video on "how prayer works" from Rob's perspective. He grapples with the question of suffering and God's response in a very good way. From the NOOMA Web site:

Many of us have experienced situations where we’ve prayed and it felt like God wasn’t listening. And yet other times we’ve prayed or known someone that prayed and the situation changed. Does God answer prayer? Sometimes, but not all the time? Or does God always answer prayer and it's just that sometimes God says no? Some of us are angry with God for not answering the prayers we’ve prayed for years. Why did he answer their prayer but not ours? What if there’s more to prayer than just God listening and answering? Maybe if we understood how Jesus prayed, our concepts and expectations of prayer would change.

Part I:

Part II:

He hits on some real powerful issues here in this video. Especially when it comes to, like the Psalmist, being honest in our prayer. And in following the book of James in the Bible - about combining our faith with works - and therefore our prayer with action.

This takes me to the new evangelization. Pope John Paul II said it must be new in its ardor, methods, and expression. I think NOOMA is a step in the right direction.

Furthermore, when we consider our prayers for "lost souls" or for "conversion" we are in the same breath - challenged to partner with him in reaching out to the lost - this is evangelization.

Your thoughts? comments?

Getting ready to evangelize at OLPH!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

A Call for a New Apologetics

What is apologetics? First, the root of the word "apologetics" comes from "apologia" which means defense. A Scripture that pertains to this is 1 Peter 3:15:

"In your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence."

On this topic, Cardinal George, the Archbishop of Chicago, wrote an very good article called A New Evangelization for a New Millennium: A Call for a New Apologetics

He has some very good points, and it is worth reading in its entirety, especially as we come into contact with friends, family members, and co-workers that are living in sin. The following is a short selection, which he begins with Jesus' words in Scripture:

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. . . . Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again” (Jn. 8:7-11).

For those of us seeking to generate a new apologetics in a new evangelization capable of drawing all closer to Christ, His Church, and one another, the account of Jesus’ disposition toward the adulteress and her accusers is instructive. Christ, who is God and thus knows the sinful hearts of all men and women, castigates those who were so ready to punish the adulteress, not because their judgment on her sin was in error, but because they lacked humility and respect. After forgiving the woman, Jesus immediately confirmed the nature of her act by calling it a sin and calling her to conversion — to a turn toward God and His truth that sets us free to love.

As a communion formed by preserving and sharing Christ’s gifts, the Church best fulfills her mission when she ministers with Our Lord’s combination of respect for persons and for the truth that fulfills them. In other words, the Church is both Catholic and apostolic. As Catholic, she reaches out to everyone, even — and especially — those most sinful and broken. But as apostolic, the Church also reaches out with the faith that comes to us from the apostles, without compromises that would contravene the dignity and vocation of beings made in the image of a self-giving God... read more

Visit our page of articles for more on apologetics or the section About the Catholic Faith in our bookstore.

The New Evangelization

You may have heard of it. Its called the new evangelization. Is it a new message? No, it is the same message, same Gospel the Church has always proclaimed. But what Pope John Paul II meant by "new" is new in "ardor, methods, and expression."

A wonderful example of this is the Gospel being proclaimed in blogs like this and other multimedia - like a music, drama, video, etc. The following video by a group called LifeHouse is a wonderful example of evangelization at the most basic level. It is the struggle of a sinner trying to find their way back to God. A perfect video following this Sunday's liturgical readings on the Prodigal son. Watch the whole thing - its very powerful!