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The 5 Means of Evangelization

1/30/2015

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Ministry Tip of the Week

by Seth Evangelho
If you haven't been evangelized, it means you've never personally encountered Jesus Christ. It means you haven't had the kind of interior conversion that impels you to make a true act of faith and to give your life in service to the Lord. My goal this year is to articulate 52 ways we can lead people closer to this experience of Jesus. In other words, 52 "means" of evangelization. The Church, however, teaches there are FIVE specific and overarching ways that God, in the Person of the Risen Jesus,  is truly and fully encountered (General Directory for Catechesis, 46). Upon reflection, we realize, through these five "means", the merciful presence of Christ is literally exhausting the environs of human experience.
So what are the 5 means of evangelization?

Witness - Proclamation - Liturgy - Catechesis - Service

Previously, I've introduced four already (just click on the titles if you wish to revisit them):

Share Yourself (week 1), Know the Kerygma (week 2),  Everything Leads to the Liturgy (week 17), andCatechesis is a Means of Evangelization (week 21). Next week, we'll finish out the fab five encounters with Service. This week, my goal is to see them in context. I've created a chart to show these unique meetings with Christ in the context of personal conversion, as well as to highlight the importance of their role as catalyst in our Christian experience of "being sent."
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As a consequence of authentic evangelization and sound faith formation, our hearts are opened to prayer, Christ is truly encountered, we're formed in his love, and we're sent into the world as missionaries - wherever we are - ambassadors for the Kingdom. This is the process of evangelization, and we never arrive. We always continue to shed layer upon layer of pride, to open our hearts to ever-deepening experiences of conversion, and to identify more fully with the saving mission of Christ; indeed, always through these powerful encounters of grace we continually experience through the five means of evangelization.

Witness - Proclamation - Liturgy - Catechesis - Service

And it's to our overwhelming advantage , both personally and apostolically, when all five means of evangelization are incorporated organically into our own daily walks of faith. As we learn to encounter Christ in all things and to share him with others, our own hearts come to experience a personal "fire" for the awe-inspiring goodness of God. It's then that we become contagious with his Spirit, making our efforts to introduce others to Jesus far more fruitful. Through the worship, teachings, and saints of his Church, as well as through our own personal experiences of faith and active service, the Lord has equipped us to find him in any situation. Wherever someone might be on their journey, we can ensure Christ's presence in our work, and we can do so with purpose and confidence. 
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Cory's Top 3

1/28/2015

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Three of this weeks most thought provoking articles in Catholic news, blogging & more
By: Cory Johnson

The Weekly Francis

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Pope Addresses ‘Fatherhood Crisis,’ Reminding Men That Children Need Guidance


“When children feel neglected by fathers who focus only on their problems, on their work or their own personal realization, this creates a situation of orphans in the children and youth of today, who live disoriented, without the good example or prudent guidance of a father,”

Read the full article here

Ordinary Stuff, for Ordinary Time.

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Does Your Mind Wander When You Pray?

Do you have trouble paying attention while praying? Does your mind wander? Do you sometimes fall asleep? Do you forget where you were and stop? Do you then feel ashamed and disappointed in yourself? Do you get frustrated? Do you want to give up trying to pray long prayers like the Rosary? Do you give up? Or do you keep trying?

Read the Full Article Here

Another One To Ponder...

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How to Kill Vocations in Your Diocese

Anthony Esolen, Professor at
Providence College, Juxtaposes two diocese he is very familiar with and correlates their practices with Priestly Vocations

Read the Full Article Here
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Catechesis is a MEANS of Evangelization

1/23/2015

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Ministry Tip of the Week

by Seth Evangelho
In the ideal ministry setting, catechesis should follow conversion. It’s only natural. An encounter with Christ is a catalyst for hunger and curiosity. The newly (and truly) converted heart longs for intimacy with Christ,  like a young lover consumed with thoughts of the beloved and a desire to know this newfound love more deeply. He or she finds fulfillment in a more complete understanding of the faith.

The proper context for catechesis is the soil of conversion. Only in the awakened state of conversion can someone properly receive our teachings on various doctrines and their connection to the sacramental mysteries, the lives of the saints, and the significant developments (in both doctrine and discipline) throughout Church history. Suddenly, all this “information” comes alive with new energy. Catechesis reveals Christ, and the converted heart knows it. 
     
And how much easier it is to teach a heart given over to God. The hungry student is the joy of every teacher. With the soul who already delights in the Lord, the work of catechesis gloriously showers down upon it – like rain on a freshly sown field. A heart living for Christ (or striving to do so) hangs on every word of catechesis, and it grasps the Christian mystery at a far deeper level because he/she is personally invested in the subject matter.

Take away conversion, and our work becomes much harder and far less fruitful. We can even confound our efforts and cripple the faith of our listeners. An un-evangelized heart interprets (i.e. reduces) faith as a list of dry, irrelevant facts; and so it’s no wonder why many have fallen away. They didn’t know Jesus. Faith’s the kind of knowledge that must be given a face. It must be placed in the context of a relationship with the mystery of Christ himself, or it isn’t real faith at all, and it won’t have the power to save anyone.
     
We evangelize before we catechize – ideally. Realistically, as we know all too well, our teaching environments are filled with the un-evangelized. BUT THERE'S HOPE!! The lack of personal knowledge of Christ simply means we must recapture the true aim of catechesis (which really isn’t all that different from the goal of any good teacher): to get our students to fall in love with the subject matter.

The Catholic faith has been reduced to facts and propositions for many people, a clear sign they haven't been properly evangelized. But, in 1975, Pope Paul VI articulated a truth with groundbreaking implication: Catechesis is a means of evangelization (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 44). Pope John Paul II built upon this idea, calling catechesis “a moment within evangelization” (Catechesi Tredendi, 1-2). These two statements are beginning to revolutionize the way we think about teaching the Catholic faith.
        
Catechesis IS evangelization. Truth is an encounter with the living God. If we get this right, we evangelize as we catechize, and thus begin to defuse the problem of classrooms filled with students who’ve never encountered Jesus on a personal level. Whether we’re relaying the Church’s worship, her doctrines, or her call to charity, authentic encounter with the Person of Jesus and our relationship with him must be at the center of every teaching. Only Jesus Christ, and our relationship with Him, will set the world on fire. 
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Cory's Top 3

1/21/2015

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Three of the very best articles of the week in Catholic, news, blogging & more
By: Cory Johnson
The Weekly Francis

Pope in Philippines: "God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm,” he called families to “Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death,” 

Read the full article here
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Ordinary Stuff for Ordinary Time

Pope: "Responsible Parenthood" Doesn't Mean Birth Control

Pope Francis backed Blessed Paul VI's teaching against birth control and urged openness to life, but reminded couples that "responsible parenthood" does not require them "to be like rabbits" in order to be good Catholics.

Read the full article here
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Another One I Enjoyed...

An interview with Jeanne Monahan, the President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, on the past, present, and future of the March for Life and the pro-life movement.

Read the full article here
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Homily: The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

1/20/2015

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"When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, 'Samuel, Samuel!' Samuel answered, 'Speak, for your servant is listening.' Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect."


1 Sam 1:9b-10, 19
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Vocations, the Culture of Death, and the Crisis of Faith

I'm sorry for taking so long to post this weekend's homily, but here goes. 

This Sunday was an important one in two ways. The Diocese of Manchester held the annual Seminarian Collection in order to raise the funds to educate the men in our diocese studying for the priesthood, and this week on January 22nd is the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. where more than 500,000 people descend upon the nation's capitol in order to pray for an end to abortion and the culture of death that so plagues us. 

There is, it seems, a vocations crisis in the Church. Fewer men being ordained as priests, fewer Catholics getting married, fewer men and women entering religious life; and the culture of death only seems to be growing. I think that these two problems are linked. They have the same root and the same solution. The root — a crisis of faith, the solution — intentional discipleship.
For 42 years our country has been perpetrating a genocide against the most vulnerable among us, the unborn, under the guise of "privacy." MILLIONS of innocent lives snuffed out, millions of women scarred and wounded, and millions of men shirking their duty as fathers, all under the false understanding that "a woman can do what she wants with her body." I don't know about you, but in biology class I learned that humans only have one heart, two legs, two arms, and one brain, so how an unborn child with unique DNA and a distinct body can be considered part of the woman's body I don't know.
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One way you can pray with us this week is by joining in on the novena for life that the US Bishops have started: Nine Days of Prayer, Penance, and Pilgrimage. Its not too late to pray! 
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Click here to get the app!
In the first reading today Samuel hears God's call and he responds, "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will." Do we hear the Lord when he calls us? How do we answer? 

It seems that there are some good things happening in regard to priestly vocations in the Diocese of Manchester. We have 9 men studying for the priesthood in our diocese, and just a few weeks ago at a gathering with the Bishop there were over fifty young men present who were discerning a vocation to the priesthood in our diocese, FOUR OF THEM FROM OUR PARISH! Here is the flyer for the special collection. 
Please SUPPORT OUR SEMINARIANS and encourage young men to be open to God's call. We need a few good men (more than a few would be better). If you want to hear a little bit more on these issues, you can listen to my homily below. 

FULFILL THE MISSION: BE A DISCIPLE AND MAKE DISCIPLES!

Pray for vocations, and pray for an end to the culture of death! Also please pray for the pilgrims from our parish who are going to the March for Life. But don't JUST pray, DO SOMETHING!

- Fr. Jeff
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The "Student" is the Whole Family

1/17/2015

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Ministry Tip of the Week

by Seth Evangelho
There's a bit of a crisis in faith formation. Anyone involved in forming youth and young children will attest to an alarming number of kids in their ministry settings who don't live out their faith at home. 

Catechists and ministers are fighting a losing battle if they think they can solve the crisis of faith without reaching parents. Have you ever heard the saying, "If you get the students you get the parents"? It's bogus. The exact opposite is the truth. When a child sees his or her parents living out the faith, it's powerful. It's more than powerful. It's transformative. The child has a living and prayerful context in which to understand what they learn in "class."
Pope Francis has been heading a worldwide gathering of bishops, priests and lay leaders this year to discuss the global crisis in family life. There was a time when parents understood themselves as the primary educators of their children. There was a time when families understood themselves as the "domestic Church." In alarming numbers, this is no longer the case. How will this bygone perspective of the masses arise once again? May the Holy Spirit lead the leaders of the Church in this time of trial and discovery, that a new vision would be forged, and a new culture of living faith and active charity might emerge.

A living and prayerful context for faith is our goal, and that means the real "student" is the family. Faith is not private. It's personal, but it's not individual. Faith cannot survive without a community, and the faith of a child must be continually nurtured by the wider witness of his or her family, or it will be lost. So when we speak about faith formation, our focus is not the individual student but the whole family. Everyone is involved, or our efforts are undermined. We must reach the parents.

How do we get parents praying with their children, taking them to mass, teaching them doctrine, and applying that doctrine to the practical life of their child (first and foremost through the witness of their own lived faith)? These are the questions the bishops of the world have been discussing, and these are the questions we too must be asking as we strategize about faith formation, lesson plans, service opportunities, retreats, and recreational activities. How can each of these areas in a comprehensive faith formation serve to nurture family bonds of living faith and active charity?
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Cory's Top 3

1/13/2015

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Three of the very best articles from this week in Catholic, news, blogging & more
By; Cory Johnson

The Weekly Francis

Pope's Homily for the Lord's Baptism: "Teach Your Children That There Can Be No Christian Outside of the Church" Read the full article here...
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About Ordinary Stuff, for Ordinary Time

Raise Prudent Kids, Not Independent Kids, a look into raising children for, from and in virture
 Read the full article here...
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Another one that I enjoyed.....

More on the Evangelists Not Making Stuff Up, some easy-to-understand evidence for why Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John didn't feel free to make stuff up about Jesus.
Read the full article here...
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Homily: The Baptism of the Lord

1/12/2015

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"Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments.  And his commandments are not burdensome."

1 Jn 5:1-3
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Alas, we have come to the end of the Christmas Season, and begin Ordinary Time. The Baptism of the Lord means the end of Christmas hymns, the decorations in the Church come down, and we get back to green vestments on Monday. As depressing as that can all be, there is much joy to be celebrated on this feast. We have a great opportunity to renew our baptismal promises and to reflect on the mission we received when we were baptized. 

If being a Christian means keeping the commandments what are the commandments we must keep? Simply put, they are to love God first, and love our neighbor. How do we do this? By making disciples — the mission of the Church. Matthew 28:19-20 captures it perfectly, 
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
MAKE DISCIPLES!!! This is the mission we have received, and if we want to be faithful, we had better do it!

Listen to my homily for this week and get a glimpse into what it means to be a disciple and how we actually can tell if we, as individuals and as a Church, are living out our mission. 

Check it out below.
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At the 9:30 AM Mass at Sacred Heart I was able to Baptize a little boy named Kobe. What a joyful moment for our parish. Baptisms are AMAZING! Have babies and make more disciples so that Fr. Marc and I will have baptisms every weekend!
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May God bless you!

- Fr. Jeff
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It Will Never Be Perfect, Don't Stress

1/8/2015

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Ministry Tip of the Week

by Seth Evangelho
A certain amount of stress is inevitable. It comes with responsibility. But the anxiety of the Christian should be of an altogether different kind. Ours is the burden of love. To live out the mission of Christ (CCC 736-737) is a struggle at times, and we should expect our share of crosses if we want to bear the fruit of Christian joy.
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Unfortunately, there's another kind of anxiety, one wrought with fear, hopelessness, and desperation. "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2), St. Paul exhorts us, for the mind of Christ sees beyond the brokenness of this world and trusts in the loving plan of the Father.

In all things, the providence of the Father reigns supreme. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Yet, how quickly we forget this and seek to control. This deceptive desire for control - ever so tempting - leaves us groping for our version of perfection, constantly struck down by disappointment when things don't work out, and (often, without even knowing it) distancing ourselves from the loving care of our heavenly Father.

But life is not in our control, and nothing we do will ever be perfect. Embrace these realities and two new experiences emerge. First of all, we begin to see the imperfections of life as constant reminders that this world is not our home. We are strangers and sojourners in this life (1 Peter 2:11), and we're destined for a heavenly homeland where all true perfection is attained. Second, we're able to watch God work. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7); for it's not in spite of our weaknesses and imperfections, but through them, that his saving power is made known.
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Again and again, I have these experiences. Everything goes wrong, and amazing fruit is the result. Or, I'm agonizing over something I wish I had said better (or not at all), when someone comes up and thanks me for that very thing. It's just true, God is writing straight with our crooked lines. As a friend told me recently, the Spirit fills in the gaps.

It will never be perfect. Do it anyway and be joyful. Don't be afraid to fail and watch what God can do in your life. Worldly anxiety and unhealthy stress is for heathens.
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Cory's Top 3

1/7/2015

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Three of this week's very best in Catholic news, blogging and more!

By: Cory Johnson
The Weekly Francis

Pope’s New Year’s Eve Message: Embrace Gratitude, and Reject Sin’s Slavery

Pope Francis delivered an off-the-cuff homily during evening vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 31.

read the full article here
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Seasonal Selection

Who are the Magi? (Are they "Three Kings"?)

Dr. Brant Pitre offers insight into these men from Matthew 2, who are shrouded in mystery


Read the full article here
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Another One I Liked....

Resolutions, Failures, and The New Year

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set out to remedying them. Every day begin the task anew.” -St. Francis de Sales


Read the full article here
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