evangelization Archives - Page 2 of 2

What I Did

All too often, religious education programs help prepare children for their First Reconciliation but struggle to assist the parents in preparing their children. They, after all, are the primary educators or might I say “prepare-rs”. This year I really wanted to look at our First Reconciliation parent meeting in a different way. I wanted to touch parents lives so that in return they would be able to impact their children. I found a very powerful video and showed it (outline below). I didn’t want the meeting to just be me or someone talking up front, but since all these parents are part of our church family I wanted them to grow together and share their lives together. That is why I then had them interact at tables with small group discussion questions. Below I have additional details regarding what I did but first and foremost it was about touching the hearts of the parents because if we can engage their hearts and minds it will naturally overflow onto their children. I was grateful to hear that it was well received and parents were in fact touched by what they experienced.

I opened with a prayer and then went right into this video:

Forgiveness Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9J6xOT3Ldw

Then I had parents answer some questions about the video and about how they have taught their kids about forgiveness and hope to prepare them as they prepare their child for their First Reconciliation.

Following the small group discussions our Pastor spoke for about 5 minutes encouraging parents and then I showed the following video:

Sacrament of Reconciliation Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtbpOERgMvk

Afterwards, I shared a few thoughts and went into some specifics from a folder of material we give about helping their children prepare for their First Reconciliation.

I ran out of time but I wanted to then share this video:

Beautiful Things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is6weMrenls

What do you do to impact the parents at meetings like this? I’d love to hear from you!

Forming Missionary Disciples

By William O'Leary

In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries”, but rather that we are always “missionary disciples”. – Pope Francis in EG #120

The Church at this very moment is in great need of missionary disciples willing to say yes to not keeping their faith too close to the vest but to share and live the faith with boldness and with the confidence that human happiness is found most fully in modeling Christ and giving our lives away in service and sacrifice.

What does this mean for Catechesis?

1) Christ came to seek and save the lost — we have to go and search for the lost. And as Pope Francis numerous times in his apostolic letter, we must invite “everyone” into the fold. Pope Francis said: “The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open” ( EG #46).

One of the most profound statements in Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter is paragraph#49:

Let us go forth, then, let us go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ. Here I repeat for the entire Church what I have often said to the priests and laity of Buenos Aires: I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: “Give them something to eat” (Mk 6:37).

We must never tire of welcoming the weak, broken, sinners into the loving arms of the Church which is an icon of Christ Himself.”

2) When we transmit the Faith, the Pope calls for a “missionary style” in Proclaiming/announcing the Gospel Message. It must be with joy, it must be with vigor and it must communicate the crucified and risen Lord (Cf. EG #11). It’s the basic Gospel message which we should never assume that those we teach have embraced. Our style is always missionary in order to announce with joy the Good News of Jesus Christ and it’s always drawing people more fully into the riches of Christ.

3) Inculturate the Gospel. Finding new expressions of announcing the Gospel so that it will be received is vital for the handing on of the Faith in the Third Millennium. Pope Francis said:

69. It is imperative to evangelize cultures in order to inculturate the Gospel. In countries of Catholic tradition, this means encouraging, fostering and reinforcing a richness which already exists. In countries of other religious traditions, or profoundly secularized countries, it will mean sparking new processes for evangelizing culture, even though these will demand long-term planning. We must keep in mind, however, that we are constantly being called to grow. Each culture and social group needs purification and growth. In the case of the popular cultures of Catholic peoples, we can see deficiencies which need to be healed by the Gospel: machismo, alcoholism, domestic violence, low Mass attendance, fatalistic or superstitious notions which lead to sorcery, and the like. Popular piety itself can be the starting point for healing and liberation from these deficiencies.

The three points specify ways we can be missionary disciples today in our world and to our students. May Our Lady be our model and intercede for us to bring forth the Good News of her Son!

Our Lady of Good Success

By Lisa Mladinich

I am most grateful to Lisa who asked if I would write reviews on some of the Lighthouse Catholic CDs. They provide a wonderful opportunity to evangelize ourselves as well as our family and friends.

Take for instance, a recent CD entitled Our Lady of Good Success by Matthew Arnold. This approved apparition was not widely known until the last century. Our Lady appeared to a holy sister, Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres (1563-1635) at various times during her life.

Matthew tells of his visit to Quito, Ecuador where the apparitions took place. In a very engaging way, he draws you into the celebration of this dire, yet hopeful message that mirrors the events of our time. In fact, in the apparition, Our Lady warns of terrible events that would occur in the last half of the 20^th century.

Given three hundred years before Fatima, these prophecies seem to tie directly to Our Lady’s messages in Portugal. But these warnings are particularly detailed. The listener is struck by the amazing accuracy of predictions that we have seen unfold over the last 50-60 years.

Imagine Our Lady speaking to someone in that time about:

A total corruption of customs – Matthew points to attendance at the Holy Mass. He mentions a statistic that in 1958, three out of every four Catholics attended Mass. Now, he says, it is more like one in four.
A loss of innocence – He relays that Our Lady said that innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. Look at the decline in women’s religious orders and of course the assault on our children with television and the internet.
An attack on the sacraments – For example, Our Lady said that there will be attacks on the Sacrament of Marriage and laws will be passed making it easy to sin.

Mathew conveys more of these dire prophecies from Our Lady to Mother Mariana. However, I said that this is a message of hope. It is in a very real sense.

You see, with the moral chaos that exists in our world, Our Lady said to Mother Mariana that when almost all would seem lost and paralyzed, there would be a restoration of the Church. Signs of that restoration have begun. Matthew shares some of these near the end of the talk.

In 1906, they opened the sarcophagus of Mother Mariana and found her body and that of some of the other founding Mothers to be incorrupt. She is currently declared Servant of God and on the path to Sainthood.

I recommend this inspiring message for our times. You can order this CD/MP3 at Lighthouse Catholic Media. Then, spread the word about Our Lady of Good Success!

God Bless

« Previous Page