Plunging our Roots into Christ

Transcription

1 Archdiocese of Philadelphia Parish Evangelization Newsletter October 2012 Plunging our Roots into Christ That you, rooted and grounded in love, may know the love of Christ that surpasses understanding. During the Year of Faith, we will be moving successively through the 12 Articles of the Catholic Faith as found in the Nicene Creed. I Believe Faith is man s response to God s initiative. -Catechism of the Catholic Church 26 In this short statement by the Catechism, we find a profound truth about the gift of faith. This truth is echoed by Pope Benedict in his reflections in preparation for the Year of Faith, The heart indicates that the first act by which one comes to faith is God s gift and the action of grace (PF 10). What we find expressed here is that faith -our ability to say I believe - comes about in our hearts only as a response to something that God does first. The words we speak, I believe, do not come about in a vacuum, or as a result of our own initiative. Rather, our words I believe are the result of God s having first initiated an offer of love to us. This truth that faith is a response to God s initiative can be likened to the response of a woman who hears the man she loves ask her to be his bride. The man initiates he gift of love by asking her to be his wife. Her words Yes are a response to the initiative of the man who loves her. The gift of faith is much like this loving dialogue that takes place between a woman and a man in love. Faith has this spousal quality to it. God is the Bridegroom who reveals himself to man and the human race is the Bride who responds to this gesture by saying Yes, I believe. In this spousal dialogue between God and man, it is God who acts first. It is God, whose desire to be known is even greater than our desire to know him, who makes himself known. He does this, not in a purely abstract way, but rather in a real context in history. The whole of salvation history from Genesis onward is the story of God enacting his desire to make himself known to us. Salvation history tells us that God first revealed himself to the People of Israel and then definitively in the coming of the Son of God in the flesh. In Christ, we find God s act of total and complete self-disclosure to us. God reveals who he is in fullness when he takes on human flesh, suffers and dies for us, and rises from the dead in glory. What we understand from this is that man is not left alone in his search for God. God desires to be found, known and loved. It is for this reason that he initiated a covenant with us and established the Church so that he may be approached. This initiation of self-revelation on the part of God is at the heart of the Christian mystery. The Church has pondered in awe for 2000 years the wonder of God s desire to be known by man and his act of self-revelation in the person of Jesus Christ. Faith, then, is our response to this initiation on the part of God. It is he who says, This is who I am and we respond by saying I believe. We should keep this mystery of love very close to our hearts every time we pray the Creed, especially the Year of Faith. Each time we stand at Mass and say I believe, let us be aware that these words are proceeding from our lips as part of a loving dialogue between God and us. Our words are a response to a profound gesture on the part of God to make himself known to us. We are not speaking these words in a void. We speak them because we have first been loved and as a response we say with all our being, I believe.

2 Letting our I believe spill out into the world Tips for sharing faith with others Implicit Proclamation of the Gospel Implicit proclamation is the proclamation of the person of Jesus Christ through the witness of one s life. Include the practice of your Catholic faith in daily conversation. After the weekend, it is typical of co-workers to ask, What did you do this weekend? Be sure to include what you did in the area of faith as well. For example, you can respond, On Saturday, I went to a fun barbeque. Saturday evening, I went to Confession, which was so helpful. Sunday morning, the whole family went to Mass and in the evening we vegged out and watched a movie. Let you trust in God animate your behavior. The sons and daughters of God should live with a sense of God s providential fatherhood, letting it infuse their actions. Less rushing around, not getting stressed over petty things, moderating our work hours and not placing excessive value on productivity (to the detriment of other values such as relationships, prayer, rest, fun, etc ), can communicate the great beauty of being a child of God and cause some head-turning among fellow co-workers, family members and classmates. Explicit Proclamation of the Gospel Explicit proclamation is the use of our words to proclaim the person, life and teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the life and teachings of the Church. Sharing our own personal love for Jesus Christ and the Church goes much further than abstract theological statements alone. Telling stories of things God has done for us, how much the sacraments have helped us find peace on many levels, sharing a book about Catholicism that has really helped in a difficult moment of life, all carry with them the weight of personal experience that lends authenticity to our statements about what we believe. When talking about the Church s moral teachings, be ready with the why and how it relates to the love of Jesus Christ. All of the moral teachings of the Church are grounded in the true meaning of love. When speaking to the modern world about the Gospel, we must help people understand the why of Christ s teachings and also how the rules offer us more happiness and love than the world s way of doing things. The modern world is greatly in need of the message of mercy. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of this century has been the life and writings of St. Faustina, who brought to us the message of Christ s infinite mercy, which can be accessed in the life of the Church. The message of God s Divine Mercy should penetrate all that we tell others about our faith.

3 NOVENA TO THE `Éà{xÜ Éy ZÉw FOR THE NATION SEPT 29 to OCT 7 SPONSORED BY EWTN Catholics have always turned instinctively for help to the Mother of God in times of need. And so, in 2012 we turn to Our Lady for help. Many of the values that shaped our Country from the beginning seem to be at risk. Pope Benedict XVI and the American Bishops have noted the erosion of religious freedom in the United States, the first value guaranteed by the Constitution. This Novena to the Mother of God for the Nation will remind us of some of the central truths of the faith, in particular, the Incarnation, passion, death, resurrection of the Lord and Mary's unique role in our salvation. It will be, in a way, a catechism lesson that challenges us to a deeper conversion to Christ and a more generous life of charity. The proximity of the Novena to the 2012 Presidential Election will also offer an opportunity to pray for all of our government officials and seek Divine Assistance in the elections. EWTN LIVE L Day 1: The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God Most Rev. James D. Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 2: Mary's Desire For Virginity Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 3: The Annunciation Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas Monday, Oct. 1, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 4: The Visitation Most Rev. Thomas J. Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 5: The Divine Motherhood of Mary Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 6: The Wedding Feast of Cana Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 7: Mary at Calvary Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 8: Mary and the Mystery of Easter Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at 8 AM ET Day 9: The Assumption of Mary into Heaven Most Rev. Robert J. Baker, Bishop of Birmingham Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 at 8 AM ET Download the NOVENA PRAYER BOOK and more information:

4 Around the Archdiocese To share information about evangelization events being hosted in your parish, please contact: Date Title Where September 29, 7pm How Do I Speak with My Children about Regina Luminis Academy Current Moral Controversies? 40 W. Pennsylvania Ave, Downingtown Speakers: Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage More info: Regina Luminis Office September 29-Oct 7 Novena to the Mother of God For Our Nation October 4, 7-8:30pm Opening the Door to the Year of Faith Archdiocesan Pastoral Center 222 North 17th Street, Philadelphia An adult faith formation and evangelization gathering for reflection on the themes of the Year of Faith, available resources and the sharing of ideas among parishes To register: Mary Cullinan, mcullinan@adphila.org, October 5 Worldwide Children s Eucharistic Holy Hour October 7-28 October Synod of Bishops Vatican City, Vatican on the New Evangelization The Bishops specially request our prayers for them during this important time of discernment October 8-11, 8:45am or 7pm Spiritual Healing: St. John Bosco St. John Bosco Hatboro Parish Mission 235 E. County Line Rd, Hatboro The Eucharistic principles of the spiritual life can help you learn more about yourself and to discover a practical, spiritual program which, if lived one day at a time, leads to that peace beyond all understanding. Fr. Emmerich, O.P (Holy Name Province) More info: October 13, 4pm Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship St. Elizabeth Parish 100 Fellowship Rd, Chester Springs RSVP: Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap parishservices@stelizabethparish.org October 14, 6:30pm Opening Mass for the Year of Faith Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Presider: Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. Paul

5 Around the Archdiocese To share information about evangelization events being hosted in your parish, please contact: Date Title Where October 17 & 24, 7-9pm Religious Liberty Conference St. Gabriel Parish 233 Mohawk Ave, Norwood Speakers: Oct 17 The Christian Meaning of Human Freedom, Meghan Cokeley, Asst. Dir. Oct 24-Forming a Catholic Conscience, Steven Bozza, Director Office for Life, Family and Laity, Archdiocese of Philadelphia More info: St. Gabriel Parish October 25, 6:30-9pm Religious Liberty Conference Ss. Simon and Jude Parish 8 Cavanaugh Ct, West Chester The Christian Meaning of Human Freedom, Meghan Cokeley, Asst. Dir. & Forming a Catholic Conscience, Steven Bozza, Director More info: Ss. Simon and Jude Parish October 20, 9am-3:30pm Be Not Afraid: Supporting Parents Who Vianney Hall Experience a Poor Prenatal Diagnosis St. Charles Seminary More info: A workshop on how to pastorally support parents as they struggle with news that their unborn baby has a structural anomaly, physical or intellectual disability Tracy Winsor, Co-Founder Be Not Afraid ministry Sr. Kathleen Schipani, IHM srschipa@adphila.org October 20, 7pm Religious Freedom Under Threat: Knights of Columbus Hall A Community Discussion West Chester Speaker s: A panel discussion on Archbishop Chaput s book Render Unto Caesar Dr. Peter Colosi, Asst. Prof. of Moral Theology at St. Charles Seminary; Mark Henrie, Senior Vice-President and Chief Academic Officer at Intercollegiate Studies Institute; Katie van Schaijik co-founder of the Personalist Project, an organization dedicated to the spread of Christian personalism More info: CatholicWestChester@verizon.net or St. Agnes Parish, October 31, 9am-2:30pm Catholic Life Congress Staff Day Williamson s Restaurant Horsham To register: Enrichment Day for parish and archdiocesan staff concerning the new evangelization and how to live out the mission of evangelization in our different ministries Connie Scharff cscharff@adphila.org