EVANGELIZATION WORKOUT: Who Is God to You?

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Terry and John

The first step in evangelizing is to move and be moved by God and by the spiritual needs of others. And our hope is also that both the person who shares the Good News about Jesus and the one who receives this life-giving message, are moved by the Holy Spirit. So “getting in shape” and “keeping fit” for the evangelizing mission of Jesus Christ and the Church means improving our ability to move through regular “working outs”! The goal is to stretch our capacity to reach out to others with the Good News of Jesus in everyday life. 

Who is God for You?

Beginning with a Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion over 15 years ago, many of us were surprised to realize that American Catholics seem to have four different preferred images of who God is. Although we cannot change their preferred image(s), we need to understand their thoughts and the story of how they came to believe in them.

We always try listen in a non-judgmental way and without giving advice. At some point we might ask, “How is that image working for you?” If someone says, “I don’t believe in God?” Then we might ask, “Can you tell me about this God that you don’t believe in?” At some point in our conversation, we also hope to share who God is for us and how we came to believe this way.

“Who is God for YOU?” Individual Activity (5 min.)

Below are short descriptions of the major images of God that were surfaced in the Baylor University study. In silence, reflect on your preferred image of God, the one that usually arises have when you pray, study, worship, or speak to others about the Lord. Keep in mind that many of us slide from one image to another quite easily.

Circle the description of God that is closest to your image.

□          Authoritative God: highly involved in personal decision-making and world affairs—responsible for economic problems, earthquakes, tsunamis—sends down punishment to unfaithful people now and in the future.

□          Benevolent God: highly involved and active in our daily lives, but not in angry and wrathful ways—positive influence upon, and deeply engaged in, our world.

□          Critical God: does not interact directly with the world, but views it and us unfavorably. God’s displeasure with us will be felt in divine justice after we die.

□          Distant God: does not “do” things in the world nor hold any opinions about us or world events. God is a cosmic force that set the laws of nature in motion and walked away.

Share within a small parish/neighborhood group (3 or 4 people—10-20 min.)

  1. Each person explains which of these major images is “God for YOU.” Why did you choose that image(s)?
  2. Next go back over the four images and put the initials of three people from your everyday life next to what you would guess is their primary image of God. [if appropriate, ask them later.]
  3. Share about the similarities and differences that you and the people in your group have about the images of God.
  4. Why is it important to understand what people’s operative image of God is when we try to reach out to share faith, to evangelize, and to invite others to come back to Jesus and the Mass?

People-Homework: Share with a family member or friend

You can use this exercise to informally survey friends and family about their perceptions about God. An opening might be, “Can you help me with homework I have received from my parish?” Use questions 1 – 3, but skip #4 above.

Window illustration by Peter J Boucher

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An interview With an Evangelizing Catholic School Principal

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Terry and John

Allan F. Wright recently offered an online workshop for the Diocese of Worcester and beyond entitled, “Help ‘Missing’ Catholics Come Home to Jesus & the Mass.” His spoke from his experiences as a father, as an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University (Orange, NJ) a Catholic academy principal, an author of 17 books, a TV commentator, and a radio host. Among his many works are: Jesus the Evangelist: A Gospel Guide to the New Evangelization, and The Bible’s Best Love Stories (Franciscan Media).

How did you become interested in Catholic evangelization? 

When I first made a commitment to Christ during my senior year of high school, and quickly developed a hunger and thirst for scripture. Some years later, I was involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal which put even more flesh on the word “evangelization.” As an adult I also became involved in “Young Life,” an interdenominational youth outreach to the unchurched. That work was the best training for ministry that I’ve experience.

   How do you evangelize in your day-to-day life?

I am a principal of a Catholic School where we pray the rosary as a school each Monday, and sing praise and worship songs on Tuesdays. Then there’s Witness Wednesday where people share their encounters with Christ. Also, Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday and Mass on Friday, are rooted in our Catholic Traditions. I see myself as a witness first and foremost and then as a catalyst for the Holy Spirit to operate within the students.

 How have pandemic restrictions affected Catholic parishes and schools? 

Anytime people are restricted from receiving the eucharist the faith will suffer. However, parishes have done remarkably well in my opinion, by switching to virtual masses and drive-through confessionals. But, even with these adjustments, some nominal Catholics have been further marginalized by lack of personal contact with other Catholics and the sacraments. So now we have an even greater opportunity to share the gospel in new and innovative ways.

  What will bring Catholics back to parishes and Masses?

Short answer, prayer. Longer answer, prayer to notice opportunities to share faith in God. Prayer to become more available and to strength our capacity for personal invitations to come back. Think of the years that Jesus spent with his disciples. Being willing to accompany people on their journey is important. If people “blow off” our invitation we do not dismiss them but continue to love them and witness to them through our care.

What is your next book about daily missionary evangelizing?

I’m finishing up a Catholic Youth Bible. It’s a regular Bible but there are 25 or so inserts dealing with the basics of the faith and issues that teens face, such as dealing with anger, depression, family relationships, and sharing the faith. Insert have headings like, “What does the Scripture say? Why does it matter to me? How can I live this ‘theme’ and be a better disciple? How can I encounter God in the midst of these issues?” My hope is that this approach will answer questions young people have as they connect the faith with daily life. I also hope they see that the Church’s approach to real life issues is reasonable.

 Who are the greatest influencers in your approach to evangelizing? 

The Young Life leader who reached out to me 40 years ago. His kindness, patience and acceptance of me and his willingness to share, “not only the Gospel, but his very life as well,” continues to impact me. That verbal witness is needed today, in an age where we are told to witness without words. Yes. Service is important, but there comes a time when words are very necessary!

(Find out more about Allan F. Wright at http://www.allanwright.org.)

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Are You Ready to Be a Daily Missionary Disciple?

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Terry and John

“Jesus asks us all, and you as well, to be missionary disciples. Are you ready?” asked Pope Francis during the church’s annual celebration of October as Mission Month. “We pray that every baptized person may be engaged in evangelization, available to the mission, by being witnesses of a life that has the flavor of the Gospel… It’s enough to be available to answer his call and to live united to the Lord in the most common daily things — work, meeting other people, our daily duties, the chance events of each day — allowing ourselves to be guided always by the Holy Spirit.”

Do you know that World Mission Sunday is Oct. 24, 2021? Are you ready? Not necessarily to embrace the foreign missions, or become a priest, deacon or religious. For most of us, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist is all we need to get started. Then we must add a comprehensive, ever-evolving understanding of ourselves as missionaries. Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, puts it this way, “The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you’re in mission territory.” So, for many of us, even getting up out of bed, willing to serve our families, co-workers is a starting point. Next comes an awareness that the more than 80% of baptized Catholics are not regular Mass-goers, not to mention, others who are disconnected from any religious support or community.  This majority of people can be called, “religious wanderers.” Bishop Robert J. McManus, of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, writes, “The ministry of a missionary disciple is to search out these wanderers, and, once found, introduce them to the person of Jesus, the message of his Gospel, and the teachings of his Church.” (Catechist magazine, April-May, 2018)

Here are eight practices for growing as daily missionary disciples:

  • Praise and thank God frequently throughout the day for the many gifts you have (and that others also experience—health, possessions, education, friends, jobs, homes, loved ones, etc.
  • Watch for the Holy Spirit’s prompting to speak to others. You might start each day with this simple prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit, grant me the courage to listen to others, to hear what they are going through and to help lift the burdens that they bear. If it be your will, use me to help them.”
  • Embrace the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as doorways that give meaning to daily sorrows and joys, losses and gains, emptiness and abundance.
  • Strive to become a humble disciple of Jesus Christ. Neither boast of successes, drown in failures, or blame others for their problems. When you see someone who has lost his or her way, recall these words, “There but for the grace of God go I.” (Saint Philip Neri)
  • Learn to practice detachment from material possessions. These are gifts from God our Father, given to be shared with the needy. We do not have absolute ownership of anything.
  • Serve in the face of every kind of poverty; physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. This includes the struggles of the aged, homeless, despairing, and the food insecure, especially among your acquaintances, friends, and relatives.
  • Be prepared to speak about God when the opportunity arises. You might briefly share how (your faith in) Jesus Christ has helped you with a similar struggle. “I felt that way when…. And I became hopeful as I realized that God……”
  • Accept disappointment with patience and courage. Do not dwell in the darkness of a friend’s negative response. “If disappointed, don’t say hard things. Only think a little, and try to remember that God will bring about what is best in God’s own time.” (St. Mary MacKillop)
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