Tag Archives: Discipleship

Bring a Friend to Christ

23 Saturday Jan 2021

Posted by in Evangelization

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Jesus Sends the Apostles – Duccio di Buoninsegna, c.1300

Yesterday, as I read the Gospel from Mark 3:13-19, I zeroed in on Jesus’ summoning of the twelve whom he appointed as His Apostles.  I tried to imagine what they felt when they realized they were being chosen to stand out from the hundreds of other disciples who were following Jesus at the time.  Were they overcome with joy?  Probably.  Did their chests swell with pride for being chosen?  I’m sure they did.  Later, in Mark 10:35-45, we discover James’ and John’s ambition to be placed above the others.  

And what about the hundreds of other people who had flocked to Him, followed Him, and became His disciples?  How did they feel?  Did they feel left out?  Or did the joy they had discovered from following Jesus infuse new life into their vocations as spouses and parents, and into their occupations?

Two thousand years later, not much has changed.  The Holy Spirit is still calling men to be apostles by calling them into the priesthood, and women into religious life.  Their love for Jesus prompts them to embrace lives of poverty, chastity and obedience and live by divine providence as the first Apostles learned to do.  I am grateful for their sacrifices that, through them, the rest of us are brought closer to Jesus.

The rest of us.  What about the rest of us?  Because we have not been summoned, does it mean that we can’t or shouldn’t help bring others to Jesus as well?  Absolutely not.  Those disciples not chosen for the Twelve didn’t just throw up their hands and say, “Okay, that’s it, I’m not on the A-team so I can go home now.”  No, they remained faithful followers.  And, so should we.  

But, our job is not just to follow Jesus.  It’s to tell others about Him, to introduce them to Him.  In, Thursday’s Gospel we read in Mark 3:8, “Hearing what He was doing, a large number of people came to him….”.  How did they “hear” what Jesus was doing?  They heard because those following Jesus told them about His saving grace.  And, then, they not only heard, but they saw with their own eyes the joy and excitement  displayed by those who had seen the Messiah.

I know what you’re thinking:  “The point Jerry’s trying to get across is that we need to evangelize, that we need to go out and tell others about Jesus.”  You’re right.  And, I know what you’re feeling:  “That’s not easy to do.  Anyhow, most of the people I know already go to church and those who don’t don’t care.  What if people push back and don’t want to hear about Jesus?  What if they ask me questions to which I don’t know the answers?  It makes me uncomfortable!”  I get it.  Been there.

You might be thinking, too, “You know, I lead a good Christian life, I’ll let my example speak for itself.”  Well, that’s all fine and good, but it’s too passive.  That’s like seeing the guy or girl of your dreams and thinking you don’t need to speak to him or her because your good looks or your fancy clothes are enough of an attraction when, instead, it’s a vivacious, outgoing and charming personality that’s needed.  No, you have to take action, you have to do something.  But, where do you start?

I will assume you have friends.  And, every one of those friends is in love with Christ, they look forward to going to Mass every Sunday (and during the week, if possible), and they consider receiving Communion the high point of their day, right?  What, no?  They aren’t all that way?  You mean you have some friends who are perhaps a little lukewarm?  Oh, and even a few who don’t profess any faith?  Okay, good, you’re not alone, then.

The operative phrase in the above is that you have friends.  We all have friends and family whom we love but whose faith is all across the board.  And, since we are all sinners, every single one of us has room to grow in virtue that only Christ can bring through a close relationship with Him. Our mission is to help that happen.

What makes for good friendship?  Usually, it begins with getting to know each other through good conversation.  Good conversation brings with it a certain intimacy which, in turn, brings a level of trust.  A deep and trusting friendship turns into a loving relationship that desires the best for each other.  And, how can we love someone more than to wish for them a relationship with God that will bring them joy for all eternity?

I know, it sounds good, but how do you make it happen?  Well, it usually won’t happen by itself, meaning you have to set it in motion.  There are various ways to begin.  And, it’s not by following a “friend” on social media.

An easy way is to sit in a different pew than you’re used to sitting in, or attend a different Mass, and meet someone new.  Strike up a conversation after Mass.  If that’s the Mass they usually attend, make it a point to go back and meet them again.

It may help to have a plan.  I have a friend who, at the beginning of the year, spends time in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to put on his heart three men whom he should try to bring closer to Christ.  Then, he makes it his mission for the year to help them get there.

You might think of a friend who is struggling in some way.  Perhaps someone who hasn’t been to Mass in a while due to the pandemic.  Give them a call to check up on them and see how they’re doing.  See if you can stop by and chat with them for a while.  If you can, follow up later and do it again.

Invite someone you’d like to know better out to dinner or for a drink at the local pub.  Sit around a campfire and share stories about your lives. Get together at your house for dinner and an evening of playing cards.  Then invite them to pray the Rosary with you.  Make plans to do it again soon.

Once you’ve come to know the person better, and they you, interject more of your faith into the conversation.  It can be done gently and unobtrusively.  Let them see your love for Christ.  Don’t worry if they don’t jump on board right away or reject your invitation, give it time.  You’ve planted the seed.  Keep watering and fertilizing that seed by following up.  It will grow.

If you meet with other men or women in a small faith sharing group or attend a Bible study, invite that friend, after a while, to come join you.  Perhaps invite someone to a Welcome, or Christ Renews His Parish weekend, or a Cursillo weekend.  Talk to them about how uplifted you are when you attend your Adoration hour and suggest they consider taking on an hour themselves.  

Above all else, PRAY.  You must pray for your friends.  Pray that they open their hearts fully to the Holy Spirit.  And, pray for your own docility to the Holy Spirit so that you will follow His lead.

You might think this sounds like manipulation.  It’s not.  It’s love.  Manipulation would be for the purpose of what you get out of it.  Through your love, you are helping someone find the love of Christ, for their own good, not yours.

Does it work?  Absolutely!  It’s what brought me to Christ and the Catholic faith almost nine years ago.  I was Agnostic, had no faith and didn’t care one way or the other.  But, two men, both strong in their faith, befriended me and slowly and gently led me to Jesus through friendship and good conversation.  They spent and invested time in me, invited me into their world, and in that world I found more love than I’d ever known.  Out of gratitude, I want to do the same.  Won’t you join me?

“Lord Jesus, thank You for placing friends in my life who, through their love of neighbor, took the time to patiently invest in me so that I would come to know You.  Lord, please help me bring those who do not know Your love, and those who have let their relationship with You become stagnant, to a full and eternal loving relationship with You.  Amen.”

(Bring a Friend to Christ was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2021 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

The Choosing

13 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Discernment, Prayer, Scripture

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Take Up Your Cross pic

As I read and meditated on Tuesday’s Gospel,  I couldn’t help but wonder about a few things.

“In those days He departed to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, He called His disciples to Himself, and from them He chose Twelve, whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (Luke 6:12-16 NAB)

Did Jesus spend the night in prayer discerning which of His disciples He would choose to be the Twelve? And, if so, what criteria did He consider? Was He looking for the one with the greatest love for God? Or, the one who was most faithful? Or, maybe the one most loyal to Him? Perhaps the deciding quality was the ability and willingness to show compassion and mercy to others. Could it have been the ones who demonstrated love for their neighbors as they loved themselves? Or, was it the ones who had the greatest zeal to go out and spread the Good News?

One would think it would have been several or all of those things. But, then, maybe it was none of them.

And, did He learn from his prayerful conversation with God that night that Judas Iscariot would betray Him?

Who knows.

But, an even more important question came to my mind: “Would He have chosen me?”

Followed by, “If not, why not?”

In which of those qualities that, on the surface, would seem to have been the most important to Him, do I not measure up? Just a few? Or all of them?

It gives me something to pray about, to ask Him to show me where I should focus my attention.

Would you have been chosen? What would have excluded you?

“Lord Jesus, I love You and I desire to grow closer to You. I give You thanks for Your Mercy. I pray for the Grace to always trust in You, to always live the Father’s commandments, and to be Your voice, hands and feet in spreading Your Good News. Amen.”

(The Choosing was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
©2013-2017 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

 

Raising Our Eyes to Jesus

12 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by in Faith

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Transfig of Jesus - Raising our eyes

As Catholics, we come to church because we love the Lord. We come to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.  We come to profess our faith in the saving Grace of Jesus and life everlasting.  But, I suspect, as in any religious congregation, there are those who come for other reasons:  because it’s what they’ve always done on Sunday mornings; because they feel they need to set the example for their children; or for fear of what might happen in their after-life if they don’t.  And, there are many more Catholics who simply no longer attend church either because they no longer believe or have justified and allowed worldly things to keep them away.

Today is a day we have been waiting for in our parish for several months: we begin our mission for conversion and renewal (for any Protestants reading this, think, “revival”).  Over the next four days, we will have a guest speaker, Deacon Ralph Poyo of New Evangelization Ministries, who will provide insights into what keeps us from becoming the disciples – followers of the Lord – that we are called to be; and how to improve our relationship with the Lord by recognizing those things that block our path.  The hope of the mission is to bring all parishioners, those strong in their faith, the luke warm and the fallen away, into a closer relationship with the Lord.

And, so, as I prepared for mass this morning by reviewing the scripture readings for the day, I couldn’t help but sense that they were cued up by God especially for our purpose.

In the first reading, from Genesis 12:1-4, we hear God telling Abram to “1Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.” God goes on to tell Abram how he will be blessed, how from him a ‘great nation’ will be made, and how his name will be made great.  Unspoken is the reality that this would be a tough journey through desert with uncertainty of what lies ahead.  Abram didn’t say, “No, I don’t think so, Lord!  That doesn’t sound like fun.  What about all the things I will have to give up?  What about my other commitments?  No, Lord, I kind of like it right here where I am.”  Instead, without blinking or thinking twice, “4Abram went as the Lord directed him.”

Then, in the second reading, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, we hear St. Paul reminding his beloved Timothy:  “8Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.  9He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began.”  Here St. Paul is telling us that we are all called to live a holy life; and that it’s not always easy to follow the Lord.  We have to use the strength the Lord gives us to say “no” to our will (the things that keep us away), and “yes” to His will that will bring us closer to Him.

Finally, the Gospel reading was Matthew’s account of the transfiguration of Jesus, Matthew 17:1-9. After Peter, James and John saw Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountain, “5a bright cloud cast a shadow over them” and, upon hearing God’s voice say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”, the Apostles fell prostrate to the ground.  Jesus came to them and told them to, “7Rise, and do not be afraid.” Then, “8when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.”  With this last line I thought how wonderful it would be if it was that easy – each time we are fearful, each time we start to let our will take control – to raise our eyes and fix them on “no one else but Jesus alone.”

Unfortunately, we tell ourselves it isn’t that easy. It’s in our fallen nature to do so.  But, through the Grace of God, we have been given the gift of faith which is all that we need to give us the courage to say no to the things that keep us from Him.  Sometimes we just need help being shown the way.

Deacon Poyo, I hope your talks this week enlighten and inspire me, and everyone else in our parish, to build a better relationship with Jesus, and to help our brothers and sisters do the same.

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit, and we shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.  Amen.”

(Raising Our Eyes to Jesus was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2017 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

What Do You See?

25 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by in Eucharistic Adoration, Faith, Love, Prayer

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AdorationIt’s four o’clock on Friday afternoon as I take my place on the prie-dieu, kneeling in front of the Tabernacle in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for my hour of Adoration. Today the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and Jesus is at home in the monstrance. It’s just me and Jesus here together. It doesn’t get much better than this.

I say my prayers, giving thanks for His Grace and Mercy. I ask Him to forgive me for my sins and I ask for His blessings on my family. I give Him thanks for this opportunity to be here with Him.

I pray that during the next hour, in the quiet solitude of this beautiful church, He makes Himself present to me. I look up at Him and I know He’s looking down at me, and my deepest desire is to feel His presence.

As always, I tell myself to clear my mind so I can hear Him if He speaks to me. I try this almost every week and I know how difficult it is to lasso the stray thoughts and images and corral them into an out of the way corner. I am seldom successful.

I tell myself, “Relax, take a deep breath, and picture Jesus looking back at you.” It strikes me that I’m thinking/talking to myself in the second person. I realize this conversation is anything but clearing my mind.

I try again. After a few moments of nothingness….“Ugh, I forgot to get back with the Boss about those plans for next week. He’s not gonna be happy!” I catch myself before I go too far down this rabbit trail and I try to get back on track.

Again, I utter, “Breathe, clear your mind. Look up at Jesus and feel Him looking down at you.” After another few moments of nothingness….

“Jesus, what do you see? What do you see when you look down at me? Besides a middle-aged, over-weight man with a growing bald spot on the top of his head, what do You see, Lord? What do You see in my heart?

“Am I the disciple You would have me be? Do I do all that I can to bring others to You? Am I quick to be charitable? I try, Lord, but am I doing enough? Do my actions speak for themselves? Is my faith strong enough for me to be believable to others? Lord, I know I have made little effort lately to grow my faith, please help me.

“What do You see, Lord? Am I the husband I should be to my wife? You know how much I love her, but do I make her feel as loved as she deserves to feel? Do I sacrifice and die to myself daily like I should for her? I know the answer. Please help me be a better husband.

“What do You see in me as a parent? When You look into my daughters’ hearts do You see love that is borne from my love for them? Does my love reach across the miles to them? Have I been, and do I continue to be, a good role model for them? Perhaps so – they have chosen fine men to be their husbands – but, please, show me how to continue. And, please let them know I will always love them.

“As I grow older, and as my parents grow older, do You see me being the son I should be? Do I reach out to them often and comfort them? Have I shown gratitude for all they have done for me? Help me be a better son, Lord.

“As a sibling, what do You see? The years and the miles have made it easy to gradually slip away from my brother, sisters, and in-laws. Do they know how much I still love and care about them? Have I made the effort to let them know? Please help me find a way to do better at staying in touch.

“Lord, You have blessed me with some truly wonderful friends who care not just about me as a person but as a spiritual being. Have I let them know how much their love for You means to me? Do they know their love and guidance has brought me closer to You? What do You see, Lord? Am I there for them when they need help? Do I reciprocate and help them get closer to You?”

I come back to the moment and it dawns on me that I haven’t yet cleared my mind. I’m not listening. I’m in a monologue with Jesus and I’m not giving Him a chance to respond. Again, in the second person, I rebuke myself, “How can you expect Jesus to reveal Himself to you when you’re doing all the talking?”

Then, I think, “Wait, maybe He just did.”

I love my hour of Adoration with Him!

Lord Jesus, every week when I pray to You before Mass, I ask for insight and Your assistance in helping me become a better disciple, husband, father, son, brother and friend. I pray I never stop asking. Amen.

(What Do You See? was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2015 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.