We Have Much in Common

We Catholics, both the Latin Church and 22 Eastern Catholic Churches, profess we are one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that Christ founded. As such, we are not a denomination; we are pre-denominational, the original Church of Christ. But since the Reformation or even before, we Christians have disagreed on so many things – liturgy, how to worship, articles of faith, interpretation of Scripture, moral teachings – the list, unfortunately, goes on. Once the wheels of disunity were set in motion, the impulse to split seemed to take on a life of its own until today, by many accounts, there are more than 40,000 Christian denominations. Sometimes we Christians appear more fractious than brotherly. In January, addressing a gathering of Pentecostals via YouTube, Pope Francis said that all Christians are to blame for their divisions and that he prays to the Lord “that he will unite us all.” But in today’s Gospel, John 9: 1-41 holds a great opportunity to honor how we are all brethren in devotion to our Lord and spreading the Good News.

 

Once in a great while, we are caught up in a cause or a movement that unifies all Christians – human rights, defeating Nazism or the Soviet Union, stopping apartheid, civil rights or abolishing slavery and (increasingly so) ending abortion. We can rally round the great social justice issues and even, sometimes, be galvanized by a song when tragedy like 9/11 befalls us; a hymn because the times simply call for it as they did in the fractured society of 1970.

Arguably, the most familiar and beloved hymn of modern times is “Amazing Grace” by the 18^th century hymnist and Anglican priest, John Newton. Its themes are so universal, profoundly resonant and familiar to readers of the Bible perhaps because of the story of John Newton himself: a slave trader converted to Christianity who eventually became a minister, a vocal abolitionist and who penned the hymn to be sung by his own congregation. He was experimenting with what at the time was a relatively new form of religious song, the Protestant hymn.

The hymn was published many times in the U.S. during the 19^th century. Its popularity grew during the last century coinciding with the invention and popularity of recorded music, then exploded into pop music becoming a Top 10 Hit with Judy Collins’s 1970 a capella recording. The majority of the 450 recordings held by the Library of Congress were made after 1970 and include versions by artists as varied as Elvis Presley, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tiny Tim, Al Green, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Chet Baker and Destiny’s Child.

Eventually, of course, the hymn found its way into Catholic hymnals, our own included, and the Catholic worship song repertoire.

We are mindful of it today because of our Gospel reading in which the beggar, blind from birth, gains sight for the first time and says, “One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”

Evangelizing Challenge This Week

Talk with family about how much we believe in common and practice in common with our friends and neighbors of other faith traditions. Start with the words on the change in your pocket or the currency in your wallet.

Catholic Apps

 Catholic’s Companion. Precious few apps are available for this format, but this one will hold you over until more come on the scene for the Windows Phone. It is most comprehensive as an all-in-one Catholic app holding many different resources like the most common prayers, rosary, bible, audio bible, daily mass readings, mass online, prayer reminders, journals, news and a breviary! WindowsPhone8 – Free.

 Pewsitter is an app version of the popular Catholic news website that relies upon user generated content and traditional media sources. The site features audio, video and print news items. If you are interested in keeping up to date on what is happening in “Catholic World,” this app is essential. Based on the ground-breaking Drudge Report format, it offers up-to-date news, sometimes within minutes of it occurring anywhere in the world. iOS and Android - Free

Why Should You Even Bother?

Why should we make the effort to evangelize our fellow inactive Catholics or non-Catholics?

1. Jesus asked us to. We do so out of love and obedience to our Lord who laid down his life for us. On the day of his ascension, in what became known as “The Great Commission”, he told his assembled disciples “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This final command before he returned to his Father in heaven urges us to go to our fellow man and share the good news that Jesus is the Christ, God become man, who took the sins of the world up with him on the cross, died for us, was raised to life and ascended into heaven. He now shares His divine life with us through His church and her sacraments till the day of His return in Glory. We will not be alone when we approach our neighbors / family / friends / strangers with this Good News, for He told us – “And behold, I am with you      always…”

2. Joy – from our great gifts. We want to share this Good News with our fellow man. Our life is bathed in the infinite glow of Christ’s love for us which sustains us and gives meaning to our existence. We know that God “…wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim 2:4) We desire to bring others into that same light that illuminates our own lives. We are moved by compassion for those in the shadows or darkness who do not know Him.

3. Everyone deserves a chance. In today’s society, we cannot assume that an individual has heard the Good News in a positive manner from someone who has experienced Jesus and has a relationship with Him. Because we know Him, we have a duty to share Him with others so that they can decide whether they choose to follow Him or not. This sacred duty should not be left up to Hollywood, the Internet, or the nightly news.

4. Because the need is so great. We are surrounded by people who are hungering, thirsting, and dying for the Good News in their lives. They ask the timeless questions that have been with man from the beginning: Is there any sense, any meaning to life? Why am I here? Why is there suffering? Does anyone care? Is there hope? Is this all there is?  If we have the answer to their questions – Jesus Christ – then to withhold the way, the truth and the life is unjust and calls our own inaction into question.

Our readings on this Third Sunday of Lent begin with the tale from Exodus about how the people of Israel were in the desert, and they were thirsty. They were unhappy with Moses, their leader, and they were disappointed with God to the extent they questioned whether the Lord was still present, asking “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”

That is a question we may ask at times. We may wonder if God is watching over us; we may lose our trust in God. It is worth noting that the Book of Exodus tells us in today’s reading that the Israelites were in a place called Massah and Meribah. In Hebrew “Massah” means “to test” and “Meribah” means “to quarrel or provoke.” The description of the chosen people “provoking” God and “testing” God may have applicability to us as well.  Stewardship calls for us to place our faith and trust in God — to believe and know that He is always with us and always watching over us.

That is not easy. Jesus never once tells us that it will be easy or that it is easy. However, He also assures us in today’s Gospel that He brings us the “living water.” Even in the Book of Isaiah we are reminded “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Is 12:3) As St. Paul says in the second reading, “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts.” (Like living water)

What Does the Bible Say?

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go out and bear fruit that will remain…” John 15:16

“So we are ambassadors for Christ” 2Cor 5:20

The Missionary Option - What it Means to "Be A Disciple"

Evangelization means we are sent as Disciples. Each one of us in virtue of our baptism is called to live our faith and to bear witness to the Gospel. First, there were the groundbreaking writings on the New Evangelization by Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and others. Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) was one of the primary authors, in 2007, of an important document from the Fifth General Conference of the

Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, called the Aparecida document. Called by some the foundational document of Pope Francis’ pontificate,  Aparecida calls us to be missionary disciples who work to build a world of love and solidarity. Missionary disciples joyfully announce the Gospel and proclaim the love of God that transforms hearts and minds—as well as unjust structures that perpetuate poverty and suffering.

In a recent address, USCCB President, Archbishop Joseph E Kurtz said that the New Evangelization in the U.S. must be made of three components

1.   personal conversion – a continuous effort by every Catholic to evangelize themselves through prayer and reading the Gospel

2.   a confidence in the power of the Gospel to impart God’s Grace to all who hear it

3.   creative new ways to share the Gospel.

Many of those new ways are through new media and new technology. That is the reason we have featured Catholic Apps, for example, on this page.

To make the New Evangelization a reality is to become pilgrims on a journey or pilgrimage with Jesus Christ— much like the journey of Jesus meeting the disciples along the road to Emmaus.  The journey or pilgrimage includes moments for a deepening of our faith, increasing our participation in the sacramental life of the Church, and leads finally to our destination of being Christian witnesses.

"A new evangelization is synonymous with mission, requiring the capacity to set out anew, go beyond boundaries and broaden horizons. The new evangelization is the opposite of self-sufficiency, a withdrawal into oneself, a status quo mentality and an idea that pastoral programs are simply to proceed as they did in the past. Today a 'business as usual' attitude can no longer be the case. Some local Churches, already engaged in renewal, reconfirm the fact that now is the time for the Church to call upon every Christian community to evaluate their pastoral practice on the basis of the missionary character of their program and activities."

—Synod of Bishops XIII Ordinary General Assembly, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith, Lineamenta

Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel) makes it clear when he writes, “I dream of a 'missionary option', that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”

This is a huge statement. As a Church, we have been inward-focused and guilty of “triumphalism” to use Pope Francis’ term. His Holiness is calling for our Church to thrive by choosing the missionary option in everything that we do.

“Evangelization is the Church's deepest identity.  Evangelization brings the good news of the Gospel to all who seek the life-giving message of faith in Jesus Christ… Each one of us in virtue of our baptism is called to live our faith and to bear witness to the Gospel… Stewardship is an expression of discipleship rooted in a personal relationship with Christ. Good stewards generously share their gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the Kingdom.”

— Bishop David Ricken, USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis

Evangelization Challenge This Week

Read one of the following:

EvangeliiGaudium(the Joy of the Gospel)

Aparecida document, 2007

Why Do We Say, “Forty Days of Lent” When It’s Really Forty-Six?

Today’s Gospel Reading from Matthew 4:1-11 recounts the forty days and nights Jesus fasted in the desert. This reminds us of the forty days of Lent. “But wait,” our friends of other faith traditions might say, “if we count them out, there are forty-six days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. How can that be? What is the Catholic explanation?” As more and more of our friends of other denominations are beginning to practice fasting, vigils and even the application of ashes to the forehead, the question about forty days might come up.

The simple answer is we do not count Sundays, but why not? The answer takes us back to the earliest days of the Church. Christ's original disciples, who were Jewish, grew up with the idea that the Sabbath—the day of worship and of rest—was Saturday, the seventh day of the week, since the account of creation in Genesis says that God rested on the seventh day.

Christ rose from the dead, however, on Sunday, the first day of the week, and the early Christians, starting with the apostles (those original disciples!), saw Christ's Resurrection as a new creation, and so they transferred the day of rest and worship from Saturday to Sunday.

Since all Sundays—and not simply Easter Sunday—were days to celebrate Christ's Resurrection, Christians were forbidden  to fast and do other forms of penance on those days. Therefore, when the Church expanded the period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter from a few days to 40 days (to mirror today’s Gospel reading), Sundays could not be included in the count.

Thus, in order for Lent to include 40 days on which fasting could occur, it had to be expanded to six full weeks (with six days of fasting in each week) plus four extra days—Ash Wednesday and the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday that follow it. Six times six is thirty-six, plus four equals forty. And that's how we arrive at the 40 days of Lent!

(adapted from “Why Sundays don’t count during Lent” by Scott Richert on Catholicism at About.com)

What Does The Bible Say?

“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights…”

— Matthew 4:1own

Evangelizing Challenge This Week

Engage in a conversation with a non-Catholic friend or neighbor about Lent and what it means to them, how they observe it in any special way. Listen carefully and offer your own practices and experiences in a loving, accepting and non-threatening way.

The readings for this First Sunday of Lent present to us exactly what Lent should be about. In the Gospel from Matthew, reference is made to the time Jesus spent in the desert, “He fasted for forty days and nights.” Most of us are aware that Lent, which began on Ash  Wednesday, is 40 days in length, ending on Holy Thursday after the Mass of the Last Supper. We may also be aware that we are called to prayer,  penance, repentance, fasting, almsgiving, and some  elements of self-denial during this Lenten time.

 
Today’s church keeps reminding us, nonetheless, that we need to do more than stop doing things. We also need to start doing things. That is where stewardship comes in, of course. The Gospel tells us that Jesus was “tempted” by the devil. Notably the word for “tempt” in Greek is the same as the word for “trial.”

Just as the Lord was put to trial by Satan, we, too, are put to trial every day. Our response has to be more than just saying “no” to those things which are not good for us. We also need to say “yes” to more good things — more practices which deepen our faith and bring us closer to God. That is what the 40 days of Lent are really about.

 

Lenten Apps

Truth & Life Dramatized Audio “46 Day Challenge” The developers of this great app have packaged all four Gospels into 46-day segments – about 2 chapters a day– so you can  read all the Gospels through Lent. iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook. Free (so it’s a great way to try out the full version).

iStations ($1.99) Android and  iOS. Traditional stations and the  St. Alphonsus Liguori devotional text. For most people, that’s all they ask for. But you get more–There is an audio version imbedded. In that case, bring your ear buds if you’re in church.

Magnificat Lenten Companion 2014 The print version is sold out, but you can get an iOS app. This is the popular devotion presented in a day-by-day format. Includes daily liturgy, prayer, meditations, penance service, devotional prayers and much more. iOS, $0.99

 

 

 

In 2008, I was driving along Harwood Rd. in Bedford minding my own business. Having moved back to Texas from New Jersey a couple of years before, I was in no hurry to do anything about faith or religion but on that day was in a hurry to get someplace (I’ve forgotten where) when I noticed all the churches I was passing – Concordia Lutheran, Emmanuel Presbyterian; then I saw a banner in front of one Church reading, “Catholics Come Home – Meet Here Tues Nights at 7” in front of St. Michael Catholic Church. 

It didn’t literally stop me in my tracks but it definitely caught my attention. Never had I seen this direct an invitation to return to the Church. Baptized Catholic, raised in a nominally Catholic home, Catholic schooled for the first four grades, confirmed at St. Paul CC in San Antonio – you could say I was planted in the Church, but the roots did not keep me past junior high school. It was the 1960’s and jumping out of Church found plenty of soft places to fall. Fast-forward fifteen years — public HS, rock & roll and soul music (playing in a garage band and the dawn of “album oriented” radio programming), college (off and on), the so-called “sexual revolution,” …and drugs. If you read about a drug in Time or Newsweek in those days, I probably took it sometime between 1968 and 1983. I stumbled through college and two failed marriages by the time I was thirty. Rising from those “soft places to fall” led to some pretty hard places for me and many others.

Life began to change for the better. I met my wonderful wife of now twenty-six years in 1984. We fell in love, married in 1987 and have two terrific, grown daughters.

All the while, I was fascinated by religions, Eastern philosophies, spiritual writings and worship (just not Catholicism). My meandering path back to that momentous day on Bedford Rd. had led me to worship and sing in Protestant churches, dragging my wife and kids along sometimes, but mostly not. God led me to be a better husband and father, little by little. Still, the music in churches I attended kept moving my soul and drawing me in. Remember the soul music I mentioned above? It’s the first cousin of African-American church music.

There is a balm in Gilead,

To make the wounded whole;

There’s power enough in heaven,

To cure a sin-sick soul.

 

There was a God-shaped hole in my heart, in my sin-sick soul, until I started coming home in 2008 at St. Michael CC, led by a banner posted outside the Church. The “Coming Home” weekly meetings, the lovely staff and priests and deacon guided me.

In 2010, I discovered Good Shepherd was closer to my home, so my journey was almost complete. This parish, its wonderful people and friars have led me to more and more service and all the way home to Jesus.

 

How lost was my condition

Till Jesus made me whole!

There is but one Physician

Can cure a sin-sick soul.

Don't ever feel discouraged,

'Cause Jesus is your friend,

And if you lack for knowledge,

He'll never fail to lend.*

* The “balm in Gilead” is quoted in the Old Testament, but the lyrics of this spiritual refer to the New Testament. This difference is interesting to comment. In the Old Testament, the balm of Gilead cannot heal sinners. In the New Testament, Jesus heals everyone who comes to Him.

 

What Does the Bible Say?

“For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah: Though you be to me like Gilead, like the peak of Lebanon, I swear I shall turn you into a waste, with cities uninhabited. Against you I will send destroyers, each with their tools.”

— Jeremiah 22:6-7

Evangelizing Challenge This Week

Invite a Catholic friend, relative or neighbor who has drifted away from the Church to come to Mass with you, to “come home;” Lent would be a great time to do that. 

 

Featured Catholic Apps

EWTN is getting great user reviews. Comprised of live feeds of television and radio broadcasts, iOS and Android, Free.

 

National Catholic Register

 

The leading Catholic newspaper since 1927 is not only Online; its available 24/7 at a very reasonable $0.99. Great, accurate reporting and insightful commentary available on iOS, Android and Kindle, $0.99

 

Go Out of Your Comfort Zone

Kelsey is a remarkable young disciple from our Church Community who I caught up with at Holy Trinity School on January 31. Her message to the younger kids there was to go out of their “comfort zones” and get involved at Church.

When Kelsey asked for a show of hands of those who had attended Vacation Bible School, almost every hand shot up. When she asked the assembly if it was fun, the whole room seemed to shout out, “Yeah.” “If you haven’t been, that’s a great place to start and make awesome new friends,” said Kelsey, “I’ve been going since 7th grade and this past summer, I stepped out to meet even more people.” She mentioned opportunities such as The Bridge, Crossroads and more – but she shared most fervently about Wednesday Night Live and the Confirmation Retreat she attended.  One earlier event she mentioned turned into pretty much a “food fight” – sounds like fun (if you’re a kid)!

 

When considering WNL, at first, she was reluctant to take the step of “going out”; asking her audience if they ever felt what it was like to “go to a party and your best friend’s not there.” Too many heads to count nodded, “yes.” That concern about feeling isolated was what at first held Kelsey back from going to WNL, and so going there was “totally stepping out of the comfort zone” for her.

But it was the sense of informality, fun and camaraderie that opened her up to more new adventures and events. She made some new friends on the ski trip she took, but she was also at the point in her own journey of faith where she wanted more – more connection, more meaning, more “reason to be Catholic.”

It was at Confirmation Retreat that she made the decision to get more involved at Good Shepherd, because, “When you’re younger you depend on your parents to take you places. But in High School, as you start driving, you’re also pretty much the ‘driver’ of how involved you are as a Catholic.” Between her junior and senior years, Kelsey’s decision was to step out of her own comfort zone and become involved by choice “instead of obligation.”

Even “Youth for Life” came up in Kelsey’s talk. Even though she was not among those from GSCC who attended March for Life in D.C., attending the Bishop’s Pro-Life Dinner last year was yet another opportunity for fellowship with other teens and more discipleship in concert with one another.

Friends Kelsey has made through Good Shepherd ministries, WNL and all kinds of youth events have become more important and lasting because those friendships are based in “trust, faith, God and love – those things that are really important and will last.” “Whatever Church you go to,” says Kelsey, “just get involved; you’ll meet people you can trust and awesome friends – friendships that will go on past graduation.”

 Next week, we will present another story of Evangelization here at Good Shepherd.

What Does the Bible Say?

“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

— 1 Timothy 4:12

“Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

— 2 Timothy 2:22

Evangelizing Challenge This Week

If you are younger than 13 and have an older brother or sister, ask them how they get involved in Good Shepherd. Or if you are the older sibling, take the initiative and tell your brothers or sisters how you are involved at Good Shepherd.  

Featured Catholic Apps

The Pope App is the ultimate source for all things Papal. News, images, video, webcams, events, Twitter feed and even real-time live coverage. iOS and Android, Free.

iMass archives and streams the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy.  The video quality it GREAT. iOS and Android, $1.99

The Word Among Us app

Everything you have come to expect and love from the printed magazine. As you might imagine, works best on an iPad, but pretty well on an iPhone. At this time, only available in iOS 6.0 or later, $1.99 monthly subscription.

James and Samantha are parishioners here, students at Nolan Catholic HS and (importantly on the day I met them) alumni of Holy Trinity Catholic School. Almost two-hundred kids there, from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade sat attentively the other day in the multi-purpose room hearing about the adventure James and Sam had at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Before the assembly began, James and Sam were discussing how they would refer to the issue of abortion. “So many of these kids are so little, you know?” said Sam, not wanting to alarm them if they didn’t know what abortion is. They decided to say the Pro-Life cause is about “saving babies.” As only teenagers can, their natural exuberance and infectious sense of fun enlivened and opened up their young audience.

Sam kicked off the talk asking the kids if they knew who Tim Tiebow is; several shouted, “yes, sure.” She then recounted how Mrs Pamela Tiebow, Tim’s mother, was a speaker at the Pro-Life Bishop’s Banquet and Mrs Tiebow’s strongly resisting doctors’ advice when she was pregnant that she should not have this baby because it was “going to have trouble,” and “to abort Tim” “’No way,’ said Tim’s mom, ‘this is my baby!’” An inspired way to introduce the topic to young kids; from there, they were in the palm of Sam’s hand. Sam’s facility with engaging her audience rivals that of show hosts like Queen Latifah and Ellen Degeneres. Her and James’ nervousness and qualms about talking to these younger kids were gone. James charged them up with how cool the Pro-Life Boot Camp was. As more and more people gathered in Washington, you could tell who was there to march “because they were carrying signs on the Metro.” James’ and Sam’s charism was bringing the Pro-Life message to the kids in that big room. When you are in elementary grades, it seems as though there is no one as     fascinating, knowledgeable or “cool” as a teenager – especially one who was sitting on that same floor a few years before!

Telling the story of one of their young Pro-Life cohorts who not only went to Washington, according to James, but “went to Rome, Italy, which is where the Pope is; and where religion is a big part of life – priests and nuns everywhere… And there are catacombs, really dark and scary. You get to sit in the crypts and stuff which is cool.” The kids on the floor were enthralled.

Both James and Sam were having a great time recounting the many things the younger kids could only imagine – snow (although most have seen it now, some had not on that day, January 31) and how cold walking the March really was; the Washington Metro system, the half-million people gathered and marching for life (despite the terrible cold); visiting national monuments; attending the Pro-Life Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; attending the events meant for young people: the Youth Rally and Mass for Life at two different venues – the Verizon Center and the DC Armory.

There was lots of laughter that day at Holy Trinity, lots of fun, and moving moments, too, of reports of people met who had “been through it.” When asked if he would return next year, James said, “Maybe, yes” and Sam, who hopes to attend Catholic University of America in D.C. would ride the Metro to get there, “Easy.”

These two terrific young people, and hundreds of thousands like them, are following Pope Francis’ exhortation to “go out, go out” and get out of their comfort zones.  Examples for all of us.

Next week, we will meet another young evangelizing Catholic on this page.

What Does Pope Francis Say?

“Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit.”

What Does the Bible Say?

“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…’”

— Jeremiah 1:4-5

Evangelizing Challenge This Week
Ask someone in your family or a Catholic friend how they live out their faith in body as well as spirit or how they would like to do that.