Dear Partners in the Gospel,

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1 September 2009 Proclaiming Jesus through Catholic Renewal and Evangelization Dear Partners in the Gospel, A letter from Life is zooming by! There s only one thing to do about it: get up every day and do the best we can, put one foot in front of the other, trying each day to do God s will for our lives. Inside This Issue New Horizons in Croatia Page 3 Sinking our Roots Deep in Christ Page 4 Check Your Expiration Dates! Page 6 On the Road Page 8 How can it be September already! Life is zooming by! There s only one thing to do about it: get up every day and do the best we can, put one foot in front of the other, trying each day to do God s will for our lives. There is nothing better than that, nothing more meaningful than that, and nothing more fruitful than that. As Gerard Manley Hopkins, the English poet and Jesuit said in one of his poems: No wonder of it: sheer plod makes plough down sillion Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion. After returning from the five months of study in Washington, the summer was busy. I had the privilege of teaching a three week intensive grad theology class at Franciscan University of Steubenville and even though I lived in a small dorm room (again!) I did have the chance to visit my married daughter and her professor husband and their four children for meals frequently enough and Anne came and spent part of the time there as well helping Mary Sarah with the children while Scott was at a theology conference in Rome. She even spent a night in the hospital with one of the children who had her tonsils removed. I think I did the best job I ve ever done in teaching the class and the 19 students (a large number as summer theology classes go) were a very impressive group. Many of them were already serving as youth ministers, catechists, and school teachers or held diocesan positions. It was a delight to have two sisters from a congregation of Dominican nuns in Houston who are primarily from Vietnam and who minister to that community in Houston. And as always, it was a blessing to have some Nashville Dominicans in class as well. This year too there was a young TOR Franciscan seminarian and a Marian seminarian. continued on pg 2 At a recent event in NY Ralph had a chance to meet Sr. Reparatrix, a pioneer of the Renewal on Long Island. Sr. Rep is now 96 years old and just recently gave up driving. She said to Ralph: My body is slowing down but my spirit is very much alive. I ve left instructions for my funeral that I want dancing!

2 Dear Partners in the Gospel, continued from page 1 Part of our mission in Renewal Ministries is helping people like this go deeper in the call to holiness and evangelization that is so important in the life of the Church today. After the three week class was over some of the students offered to pray for any of the other students who desired a deeper release of the Spirit in their lives and many responded. Part of our mission in Renewal Ministries is helping people like this go deeper in the call to holiness and evangelization that is so important in the life of the Church today. As the summer went on we had the sad news that Debbie Herbeck s mother died, but Debbie and her siblings were able to be with her and pray the psalms with her and for her as she died. Then Anne and I were off to France where I gave three talks to a large annual conference held at Paray-le-Monial, the place where St. Mary Margaret had her revelations about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. By that time I was wondering how the summer got so tightly scheduled, but the Lord, as always gave grace, and it was a joy to see fervent faith in the thousands of people who gathered, sponsored by an impressive French community, the Emmanuel Community. Then I was off to Denver to speak to youth ministers, to Phoenix to speak to catechists and to Philadelphia where Sr. Ann and I conducted a retreat. And now class at Sacred Heart Seminary is about to start again and we are getting ready for our annual meeting here in Ann Arbor with all our country coordinators, and the taping of a new season of The Choices We Face. We continue to be encouraged by an ongoing stream of letters and s testifying to what God is doing through all the different ministries. Thank you for your support in prayer and financial giving which makes so much possible. Your brother in Christ, 2 Beginning this month the EWTN television series, The Fulfillment of All Desire, is moving to a new time slot on Thursdays at 1:30 PM, Eastern Time.

3 New Connections, New Horizons in Croatia By Deacon Zoltán Kunszabó This past March Deacon Steve Thomashefski and I teamed up for a mission to Croatia that proved to be an extraordinary trip in which we were led by the Holy Spirit to prepare persons, to light God s fire in their hearts. We began the mission in the city of Zagreb, staying in a hotel owned by the friend of Josip Loncar, a community leader and our programme organizer for the week. We had our first meeting in a reserved hall of the hotel with approximately 25 people. Deacon Steve and I sensed the Spirit urging us to give our testimonies in a very simple way, encouraging people to live a more devoted life with Jesus. After the two talks some people asked us for personal counseling and ministry. One of them was our translator, who works for the archdiocese of Zagreb in many areas. After I prayed with her, she offered to find more ways for us to touch the Croatian Church with our vision of evangelization and renewal. I also spoke about our experiences with the City Mission of Budapest in She was very open and I expect a lot from this connection in the future. The next morning we prayed for six more people from the previous evening s group. There were very different cases from very well founded believers, to a lady who was just on the road to leaving New Age practices. We had the oppotunity to pray for a wonderful couple and his wife. He was the second man in the former Croatian government, a very talented person with strong faith. But they suffered a lot in the midst of the political attacks. We were very happy to communicate God s healing and peace for their family. Throughout our time in Zagreb many people came to us for prayer! After the ministry time we visited the family of the hotel owner in their home. The whole family came together for lunch to see us. We prayed personally with the parents and their very kind young adult children. All of them were very open to prayer and the Lord really sent His love into their hearts. I will never forgot the 17 year old daughter as she looked up with tears in her eyes and asked, Is this really true? How can the Lord Jesus be so close? My whole body is on fire! After this great afternoon we hurried to the community meeting of the Dobri Pastir (Good Shepherd). It was a great joy to see again their leaders Vera and Tomislav. The meeting started with about 150 community members and visitors. We taught on the way of holiness. I spoke about the possibilities for sin in the deep, dark, and hidden parts of our hearts. We asked the Holy Spirit to shed light on those areas, and to help us recognize the bad desires and say no to them with the power of the Lord! We prayed over almost everybody until midnight! The following day we continued the personal counseling and prayers. A local businessman came to us with his wife and two teenagers. We evangelized them one by one and then we prayed over the whole family. After lunch we left to visit the small city of Lupoglav. There we met Fr. Drazen Radigovic, the parish priest and the leader of the countrywide Dobri Pastir Community. We started with holy Mass, then we continued with a renewal evening. The church was packed with approximately 300 believers and a very good number of young people. Dcn. Steve began with a more evangelistic message, and then I continued with a holiness theme. Many of the people followed our talks very carefully from their bibles, busily taking notes, which is a very rare sight amongst Catholics. After the talks we prayed over everyone they were short but very powerful prayers. The next morning we met with the different local leaders for strategic planning. Everybody was very happy with our time there and they invited us back many, many times. It was very hard to say goodbye. After that we drove up to the northern part to the country not very far from the Hungarian border. We visited a parish center in the small city of Krizevci and the two priests there were more than kind to us. At 5 pm we started our meeting in one of the city churches with an hour long adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the Mass with Dcn. Steve s homily, based on his journey to God. After Mass I had the oppotunity to tell my own story. Fr. Ivan, the parish priest, was very touched and he invited me to come back and give a longer retreat to his parish. Our time in Croatia was an extremely rich and fruitful journey with a lot of very important connections for the future. Praised be God who opened new horizons to us in Croatia! Drago Curkovic owned the hotel in Zagreb where Deacons Steve and Zoli stayed. They had the opportunity to visit with his whole family one afternoon and pray with each family member. I will never forgot the 17 year old daughter as she looked up with tears in her eyes and asked, Is this really true? How can the Lord Jesus be so close? My whole body is on fire! 3

4 From the Heart Christ s work is deep and life changing; it takes time, patience, and faith as we allow our minds and hearts to be shaped by His word, His life! But, because of the culture we tend to seek immediate satisfaction, 4 4 immediate results. Sinking our Roots Deep in Christ The other day I was reflecting on that well-known passage in John 15:1 10 that I ve written about before. The Father wants me to bear fruit but I have to be willing to be pruned so that His life-giving sap can be utilized to build up the trunk. Then with Christ s presence flourishing in me, the healthy branches of my life can be supported and nourished. Following that reflection, I was thinking about our society which clamors for anything that is newer, faster, easier, and smaller than the product that preceded it. We have been deceived into thinking that all of this is better and that we need it! We have been evangelized by the priorities of our society. The wise saying, All that glitters is not gold, has been replaced by all that glitters (attracts, entices, demands attention) is necessary for my happiness. I don t think this is an exaggeration. Christ s work is deep and life changing; it takes time, patience, and faith as we allow our minds and hearts to be shaped by His word, His life! But, because of the culture we tend to seek immediate satisfaction, immediate results. If something doesn t work the way we want throw it away and get something new. We want things that will eliminate hard work, suffering and frustration. God told us, I make all things new! The word new in Scripture means never having been seen before. This is not just a new model, or a new and improved design, but when God makes things new, He really does! Jesus says He will make us a new creation but we must be willing to do it His way. Are we willing to submit our goals and timetables to His direction? Do we value what His word has told us to value? Do we seek the pearl of great price? Are we willing to stake everything on the kingdom that will not pass away or do we struggle with the enticement of this world s riches, power, and prestige? Has there been compromise on our part? It is very hard to live in this world and not be tempted by its values. John 15 shows us that the secret to living in this world, yet not being of it depends on the source of our daily nourishment and sustenance. Do we feed on the Eucharist as much as possible? Do we go to confession regularly and read His word daily? How do books, magazines, and other types of media shape our thinking, our conversations, and our actions? This Gospel passage calls us to abide deeply in Christ, to have our roots sunk in Him so that we receive the kind of nourishment that is not dependent on the world or the changing challenges of human existence. There is a story I have told several times that I read about in a little book by Andrew Murray, a Dutch pastor from South Africa. He wrote about a particular grapevine in London, England in the late 1880 s that had astonished people because while most grapevines, depending on the type of grape, bear clusters of grapes in a season, this vine was bearing over 2000 clusters of grapes each season. When friends of mine visited England, I asked them to see, over a hundred years later, if they could find anything about that miraculous vine and its great yield. They returned from their visit with pictures! The vine is still bearing tremendous quantities of fruit after all these years and has survived war and famine and pestilence. What was the secret? When the root system of that vine was tapped they discovered that its roots had traveled OVER A MILE into the nourishing soil of the Thames River. It not only survived but it overcame so much material destruction because its roots were firmly planted. This is what Jesus asks us to do: He who abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (v. 5) We are going through hard times and it may well get worse. Are your roots firmly planted in the Lord in all aspects of your life? If so, you will bear good fruit for God even when times are hard in your personal life, in your family, or society. Just last week I heard a sermon in which a priest described the growth of a bamboo tree. Depending on the variety (and there are many varieties) a seed planted may show NOTHING above ground for three to five years! Nothing! But when the growth begins to take place, it can grow to feet in several weeks! Remarkable, isn t it? Though our physical eyes cannot see change or growth, yet the

5 The vine is still bearing tremendous quantities of fruit after all these years and has survived war and famine and pestilence. What was the secret? When the root system of that vine was tapped they discovered that its roots had traveled OVER A MILE into the nourishing soil of the Thames River. By Sr. Ann Shields, SGL underground root system of that bamboo tree is developing in silence and darkness. When it is ready, that underground root system can sustain the rapid growth and the towering height of the mature tree. If we persevere in growing in Christ, even if and especially when we can see little or no evident growth in spiritual maturity and use of gifts, if we persevere, we will not be disappointed. Five years of silence and darkness seems to be God s way with bamboo trees Jesus tells us to learn from nature, from the lilies of the field. Don t let the enemy tell you that the seeming lack of spiritual growth is because you are too sinful or God doesn t find you worthy of His gifts, or you are too old, or sick or whatever other excuse we use to tolerate an only partially developed spiritual life. When you seek Him with ALL your heart, He will let Himself be found by you! The siren call of the world is loud, alluring, and at times confusing and we can get sucked into believing that what the world says is the way life is or should be. No. Just draw near to the Lord. Sit at his feet. Draw near to His heart and rest awhile. Perhaps, if needed, repent for not believing, for listening too much to the world and too little to the Gospel. Then rise up refreshed, with eyes fixed on Him, ears attuned to His word, nourished by His Body and Blood, and go forth in the power of his Spirit. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:4, 8) If we persevere in growing in Christ, even if and especially when we can see little or no evident growth in spiritual maturity and use of gifts, if we persevere, we will not be disappointed. To listen to Sr. Ann s daily radio show, Food for the Journey, go to Please Pray... for the taping of the new season of The Choices We Face this month. May the Lord continue to reach many people through Catholic television. that the name of Jesus will be lifted up during our upcoming missions to Ukraine, Rwanda, and Romania as well as all our missions within the U.S. this month. for the prayer intentions of all our supporters and their family members, especially as they face the challenges of illness and economic uncertainty. Thank you for your continued support through prayer as we labor together for the Gospel and the renewal of the Church. 5

6 Check Your Expiration Dates!...medicines past 6 their expiration date are not the only toxic things we carry with us. What about thoughts, ideas, impressions, that are way past their usefulness, yet we still carry them with us? I sat at the table in my hotel room in Mexico City and looked apprehensively at eight pieces of luggage stacked in the corner. They were huge, in various stages of deterioration, and covered with dust. I did not want to open those suitcases...but I knew I had to. It was time to take inventory of the medicines we use during our medical missions in the Mexico City dumps. It s important to check that the medicines haven t passed their expiration dates. Some medicines lose their potency as they get older and some can actually become toxic. I rummage through these suitcases every time we do a mission, but it had been some time since I had checked the expiration dates of all my supplies. The tedious task had to be done, so I whispered a prayer, dragged the first one over to the table, and opened it. The first sensation that hit me was the unique smell of the dump that lingers inside the suitcases and everything I touched was covered in a fine layer of dump dust. I opened ziplock bags which we use to keep the meds clean and started reading labels for dates. After a few minutes of sorting through the suitcase, I sat back in chagrined amusement. Some of these items had expired long ago and some of them hadn t been used in several months, yet each time we are here, we re-sort them, re-count them, re-pack them, and re-load them on the bus. Then we get to the dump and drag them out again, reload them and start again. I stared at the growing pile of outdated pill bottles. Have I been dragging medicines that no longer work all over Mexico City, all these years? I said to the empty room. Many of the products I checked were still valid and useful but they were mixed with the outdated supplies. It was time to clean house! For hours I sat there, reading the fine print on the side of bottles; the pile of old medicines began to grow and at the same time, the valid meds were being found as well. I dissolved all the old meds in water, rendering them useless before I disposed of them. Then I was able to organize and repack the good meds which would be of real help to our friends in the dump. As I sat there, the thought came to me What other expired, out of date things are you lugging around? As I reflected on that question, it occurred to me that medicines past their expiration date are not the only toxic things we carry with us. What about thoughts, ideas, impressions, that are way past their usefulness, yet we still carry them with us? Consider this familiar scenario. Some years ago you had a difficult encounter with a family member, someone from church, or a co-worker and that experience has stayed with you. When you see that person, you still have those negative feelings. It affects the way you relate with the person. You mention to others that this person is difficult. Others perceive that person in a negative way based on your experience. Hold it! Isn t there some kind of expiration date on these negative emotions? How long do you want to carry this around? It has actually become toxic and is doing you no good at all. How often we let experiences and impressions from the past impact our life, our work, and our relationships today! You have to ask yourself, Is it worth it? Am I really living a better, happier life today because I am holding on to these hurts? Dave Norris, Jim Murphy, and Dr. Phil Gigliotti (l. to r.) pause for a photo before unpacking and sorting the mountains of luggage filled with medical supplies. How about this scenario? Some years ago you formed a belief that you are a less than valuable person. You reached this conclusion because people spoke ill of

7 By Jim Murphy One of the great joys of ministering to the people in the dump in Mexico City is being with so many beautiful children. Despite their poverty, they are remarkably happy and generous. ( Jim Murphy on left, Jessica Sherwood on right) you, hurt you, or maybe you just made a lot of mistakes in life. So you ve been living all these years with the absolute conviction that you are less than. You ve heard the truth that God loves you, but to you it seems a cliché. You must be the exception; after all you are certain you are not much good. You ve built your life on that conviction. You can even tell other people why you are no good. But what if you re wrong? What if those beliefs are way past their expiration date? Not only are they not doing you any good, they are actually becoming toxic! What if God really does love you? What if you are precious in His sight? What if you are a valuable human being; a true gift to the rest of us? We are all carrying around things that long ago lost any value to us, yet it s easier to keep them tucked away than to take the time to look at the expiration date. The work of reading the fine print on our attitudes and emotions can be tedious, fatiguing, and at times even painful. But it s what we must do if we re going to clean house. Fortunately, there is Someone who knows a lot about this and is willing to help. Invite the Holy Spirit to take inventory with you. He can read the fine print on the bottles and help you determine if you should hold on to this or let it go. You can trust the Spirit. He knows what is good for you and what isn t. If you have a hard time letting go, He ll gently help you see that it is no longer in your best interest to keep these things in your inventory, lugging them around with you in the suitcase of your heart. Once you find what has expired, surrender it to God. Let it dissolve in the mercy of His healing love. Some things take longer to dissolve than others. Just keep it in the Living Water of the Holy Spirit. It will dissolve in time. Letting go is not always easy, but holding on is so much harder. Life is too short to carry what you no longer need. Invite the Holy Spirit to be with you. Open the dusty suitcase. Check the dates, keep the things that work, and let go of the rest. What remains will be so much better. Jim Murphy is a country coordinator for Renewal Ministries who travels to Mexico City several times a year leading mission outreaches in the garbage dump, orphanage, and senior men s home. To read more about the Mexico mission go to: How often we let experiences and impressions from the past impact our life, our work, and our relationships today! You have to ask yourself, Is it worth it? Am I really living a better, happier life today because I am holding on to these hurts? 7

8 On the Road I have found a paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love. Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta September 2009 Mission to Ukraine September 2 14 Don Turbitt and Team Contact Jessica at ext 32 or jsherwood@renewalministries.net Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph, MO September 14 Catechists Training Day Anaheim, CA, Southern California Renewal Conference September 4 6 Contact: or spirit@scrc.org Mission to Rwanda September 4 14 Lloyd and Nancy Greenhaw and Team Contact Jessica at ext 32 or jsherwood@renewalministries.net Ann Arbor, MI The Choices We Face Television Taping September 9 11, 23, 29, 30, Peter Herbeck Birmingham, AL, Crossing the Goal Taping September Peter Herbeck Detroit, MI, Vocations Seminar September 19 Sr. Ann Shields Contact Sr. Ellen Licavaoli at Dubuque, IA, Holy Spirit Pastorate September Sr. Ann Shields Contact Deacon Jim Phil at October 2009 Dekalb, IL, Great Lakes Men s Conference October 10 Peter Herbeck Contact: or mensconf@thetalk.org Diocese of Springfield/Cape Giradoux, MO October 15 Diocesan In Service Day Brewer, ME Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference October 17 Sr. Ann Shields Contact: Mary Livingstone at Steubenville, OH Franciscan University Celebration for Fr. Scanlan October 17, Peter Herbeck Contact: Ann Arbor, MI, Renewal Ministries US Board of Directors Meeting October 18 19, Peter Herbeck, Sr. Ann Shields, Gary Seromik Mission to Romania October Deacon Steve Thomashefski and Team Contact Jessica at ext 32 or jsherwood@renewalministries.net Raleigh, NC, National Leaders Conference October Contact: R e n e w a l M i n i s t r i e s 8 Chairman of the Board Bishop Sam Jacobs, Houma-Thibodaux, LA President In Canada Episcopal Advisors Archbishop Thomas Collins, Toronto Bishop M. Pearse Lacey, Ret. Auxillary, Toronto Chairman of the Board Msgr. Gregory Smith Renewal Ministries is a Catholic ministry committed to renewal and evangelization in the Church. It seeks to proclaim Jesus Christ through its TV and radio outreaches, as well as through books, tapes, conferences, retreats and other international evangelistic events. Editor Design Debra Herbeck Anne Martin 2009 by Renewal Ministries P.O. Box 1426 Ann Arbor, MI phone In Canada P.O. Box 400 Station U Toronto, ON M8Z 5Y8 phone