Christ in the Classroom Foundation. Task 6: Missionary Spirit

Transcription

1 Christ in the Classroom Foundation Task 6: Missionary Spirit

2 OPENING PRAYER The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-29) 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 26 What is written in the Law? he replied. How do you read it? 27 He answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. 28 You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

3 Lord of All Love, As I step out the door, show me my neighbor. As I read the news, show me my neighbor. As I pray, show me my neighbor. On my left, on my right Perhaps turning to me right now Show me my neighbor. Where my eyes have passed before and then turned away Show me my neighbor. Show Me My Neighbor Photo by Oscar Leiva/Silverlight for CRS Haiti.

4 Where my ears have heard cries that I have ignored Show me my neighbor. As they share a story that is different from my story Help me to listen as if it is my own. Show me my neighbor. And then let me love them In their joy and in their distress That their delight be mine And their pain be mine too. Show Me My Neighbor Photo by Mahmud Rahman for CRS/Caritas Bangladesh

5 Let me love them As completely and mercifully as you love me. In true solidarity Singing our songs together until a new song emerges, Let me love them. I look up now, Lord. Show me my neighbor. Amen Show Me My Neighbor Photo by Michael Stulman for CRS Sierra Leone.

6 OUTCOMES Define Evangelization and become familiar with the Archdiocese of Seattle Mission Statement as it relates to Evangelization. Break open the concept of Missionary Discipleship and apply the components (6 Paths) of the Missionary Discipleship rubric. Engage in the process of Missionary Discipleship through scripture and in the work of our Church. Consider how to design and evaluate Missionary Discipleship in your school community, ministerial setting, and beyond. Review your local school mission statement in light of the Archdiocese of Seattle Mission Statement and discover how the ministry of the school can be in solidarity with the Church of western Washington. Be committed to a vision of your school as operating as an integral part of the larger civic community, the local church, and the universal Church.

7 Session One: Evangelization What does this quote from Pope Francis mean for me personally?

8 8 EVANGELIZATION DEFINITION: The proclamation of Christ and His Gospel by word and the testimony of life in fulfillment of Christ s Command. (CCC 905)

9 9 MISSION STATEMENT of Archdiocese of Seattle The Ministries of the Archdiocese of Seattle continue the work of Evangelization for encounter with Christ who calls and sends missionary disciples and who himself provides lifelong formation and nourishment in the Church.

10 10 MINISTRY. I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world. (Mother Teresa) What typically comes to mind when we think of Ministry? The Greek word diakonia can be translated as either service or ministry. What s the difference? First difference: Who we are serving? Others? Our own desires, interests, or needs? God?

11 MINISTRY 11 Everything we do as Christians is to be a ministry not just a nice work or volunteer work Personal prayer Corporal and spiritual works of mercy Participation in organized efforts Ministry of spouses to one another in Christian Marriage Ministry of parents to children Ministry of lay involvement in professional and civic life

12 The most important thing we continue in the life of the Church is the encounter with the living God, Jesus Christ. a. Jesus used the image of fire to express how this living faith experience spreads from one person to another (cf. Lk 12:49) 12 b. God has been carrying out this great work of salvation since the beginning of Time. It is the very reason for creation itself. c. The prophets prepared the world to receive the Son.

13 13 The most important thing we continue in the life of the Church is the encounter with the living God, Jesus Christ. d. Jesus himself showed us the face of the Father in his life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:9). e. Jesus established the Church to carry on his mission and promised to be with us until the end of time (Mt 28:20 and Mk 16:16). *** It is critical that we correctly understand the Mission of Jesus in order to understand and carry out the Mission of the Church today.

14 14 f. The mission of the Church is both ever ancient and ever new. In order to be faithful in our efforts to continue, we must periodically evaluate our efforts What are we doing well that we should continue to do? What are we not doing well that we can improve? What are we doing but should not be doing? What are we not doing but should be doing? ***In order to continue what we should do, we can t always continue everything we have been doing. Any effort that is not intentionally directed toward continuing this divine encounter ultimately becomes a distraction.

15 15 WORK What was Jesus greatest work? The answer to this question will form the foundation for how we understand the work we do as a participation in our Lord s mission. Jn 6:29 This is the work of God: to believe in the One He has sent. Jesus spoke elsewhere about the work the Father gave him to do (Jn. 10:37, 5:17) and that this work was his food (Jn 3:34).

16 The Church receives its work from Jesus even as Jesus receives it from the Father. Intimate spiritual communion is necessary in order to be truly obedient to the Father s work (cf. Jn 10:30 the Father and I are one ). Jesus spent time in prayer before carrying out great works or making great decisions Need for prayer before, during, and after any task. God wants us to be dependent upon him. Prayer means more than just reciting prayers; it draws us into intimate communion with God who reveals to us the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the Heart of Christ The Holy Spirit challenges, encourages, consoles, and guides us with His love and presence 16

17 17 THE WORK Mission Statement of the School Fundamental question we must ask ourselves: NOT What is the work I want to do for God? BUT What is the work God wants to do in the world through me? We must move from an attitude of Working for God towards an attitude by which we seek to Do God s Work. Are we living God s call in our school mission statement?

18 Session Two: What Is Missionary Discipleship?

19 19 Missionary Discipleship Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are disciples and missionaries, but rather that we are always missionary disciples. (Evangelii Gaudium,120) The Joy of the Gospel

20 If we are God s mission, and God s mission is love, the next question is where? Where are we commissioned to love? THE 3 SPHERES OF DISCIPLESHIP video

21 When we talk about mission we are talking about God s mission for us and our world. The Church doesn t have a mission, the mission has a Church. Photo: Sean Sprague for Maryknoll/Nyangana, Namibia

22 God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16 This expresses the Christian image of God and resulting image of humanity and its destiny. Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est

23 WHAT IS LOVE? Who evangelized you? (i.e., Who showed/shows you that you are loved?) How? Photo by Sean Sprague for CRS/Venezuela. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviors that are shown in daily living. Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus

24 MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel. (EG 20)

25 Session Three: The Process of Missionary Discipleship

26 The Woman at the Well (John 4:4-42)

27 What resonates with you? Do you relate to anyone in the story? What boundaries were crossed? (Think of the Three Spheres) Who did mission (showed compassion and love) in the story? How? Who didn t do mission? Why not? Who experiences conversion/transformation in the story? How?

28 28 Brainstorm: What are today s current realities and situations? How are we called to be missionary disciples? How do WE do this? When does our response become missionary discipleship?

29 29 Rubric for Missionary Discipleship 6 Component or pathways Prayer, Liturgy and Contemplation Discernment and solidarity Encounter and relationship Witness Proclamation and dialogue Justice, peace, and care of creation Encounter - Disturbance - Response

30 Session Four: Evaluating and Designing Our Roadmap for Missionary Discipleship

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32 Heaven Sent

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34 34 Moving Towards God s Mission Choose one component (path) on the rubrics in particular: What might you need to do to move towards God s mission in this path? Who would you invite into a brainstorming or planning conversation to move?

35 35 The mission of the Church is both ever ancient and ever new. In order to be faithful in our efforts to continue, we must periodically evaluate our efforts What are we doing well that we should continue to do? What are we not doing well that we can improve? What are we doing but should not be doing? What are we not doing but should be doing? *In order to continue what we should do, we can t always continue everything we have been doing. Any effort that is not intentionally directed toward continuing this divine encounter ultimately becomes a distraction.

36 36 MISSIONARY SERVICE AND DISCIPLESHIP ESSENTIAL CONCEPT Baptismal Call and Discipleship Call to Stewardship and Discipleship Call to Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and the New Evangelization CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (CCC) 816, 849 Chapter , Chapter , 905, , 2044, 2472 UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CATECHISM FOR ADULTS (USCCA) Chapter 11

37 37 Baptismal Call and Discipleship Forming Individual Disciples: Evangelii Gaudium, 120 The call is personal: sharing and receiving of love The call is universal: all of us are invited to missionary discipleship

38 38 Call to Stewardship and Discipleship Forming Communities of Disciples: Evangelii Gaudium, 183 The call is social: drawn out of love for a world larger than ourselves The call is physical: the plight of humans and the earth we inhabit is of concern to God and to us The call is communal: we depend upon one another for salvation

39 Call to Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and the New Evangelization Forming Disciples in the Community/World: Evangelii Gaudium, 250 The call requires interaction and dialogue The call requires a commitment to community and reconciliation The call to work for justice and peace is universal to all humans 39

40 JESUS MODEL OF MINISTRY: Walks with his people side by side and listens to them. Shares to them the God s Word; then invites them to live and share the Good News to the world. Makes the heart of the disciple burn. Transforms their lives by strengthening their love, knowledge and discipleship.

41 PARISH COMMUNITY IS CRITICAL The parish community is the source, locus, and means of catechesis. The community becomes the visible witness of faith witness. The parish provides the formation of its members. The parish receives its members as the family of God. The parish constitutes itself as the living and permanent environment for growth in the faith. (GDC 158)

42 Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 24 CLOSING PRAYER The Joy of the Gospel Evangelizing Community Prayer

43 43 AMEN! Special thank you to our Ministry thought partners at Maryknoll and the Missions Office of the Archdiocese of Seattle. Most especially, Kelly Hickman, Missions Office at Annapatrice Clarke Johnson, Maryknoll at For more Missionary Spirit - Missionary Discipleship resources Maryknoll and Archdiocesan Missions Office