HOUSEHOLD TOPICS IN THE YEAR OF FAITH and the Era of the New Evangelization

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1 Rationale: HOUSEHOLD TOPICS IN THE YEAR OF FAITH and the Era of the New Evangelization We are at the dawn of the Era of the New Evangelization. For the Philippine Church this is the 1 st of the nine years of spiritual preparation towards the 500 th year of Christianity. For the universal Church this is also the 1 st of the four years before the next Synod of the Bishops that calls for the New Evangelization for the Transmission of Faith. For CFC-FFL, this is a great moment with great opportunities for what we believe firmly God has set us apart and formed for more than 30 years. The New Evangelization presents a challenge: New wine in new wine skins. The New Evangelization calls for an ever deepening appreciation of the new stirring of the Spirit. It is in this disposition that CFC- FFL is especially called to have. We therefore may need to leave old ways of doing things if only to give new expressions and ways of evangelizing a chance to work within the context of the New Evangelization. The way we do things and behave flow from the way we think and believe. This year s household topics in this Year of Faith and the dawn of the Era of the New Evangelization are oriented to challenge our understanding of our mission and ways of doing evangelization in the context of the stirrings and call of the New Evangelization. General Objectives: To capture the spirit of the New Evangelization as a way to move us to respond to the new stirrings of the Spirit for the renewal of families and the Church. Specific Objectives: At the end of the 12 household discussions and sharing, the participants will be able to: 1. Understand the essential hunger of people as a starting point to defining programs and actions as a response within the context of the New Evangelization; 2. Ground people into the subtle ways of the world in spiritual warfare as a way to be challenged and commit that New Evangelization starts with ourselves; 3. Capture and define God s invitation for the New Evangelization and start to live out ways of being witnesses of the New Evangelization; 4. Be empowered by the Spirit with a fresh desire to live the charismatic spirituality necessary for the task of the New Evangelization Methodology: There are twelve (12) household topics: one for each month. The other topic for the household for the month will be left to the household servants to decide. It will use the regular household meeting format of worship, topic introduction, discussion, and fellowship. However, it is necessary for the Household Servants to make a follow-up of the previous topic to check on the progression of the household members. Household topic Framework 1st Quarter: What is the world telling us with the growing irrelevance and outright rejection of Jesus while on the other hand, they accept and believe other teachings and way of life that do not Topic 1: Why has Christianity been rejected? Topic 2: What is the cry of people for help about? Topic 3: What is God s invitation for us Christians as the essence for the call for the New Evangelization?

2 help address their needs? for the call for the New Evangelization? 2 nd Quarter: Don t tell me Show me! is the cry of help of people - A call for men and women to live authentic lives. Topic 4: My personal rule of life: What s in it for me vs. serving others at all cost. (Subtle influences of individualism) Topic 5: My personal rule of life with comfort and pleasure vs. selfsacrifice. (Subtle influences of hedonism) Topic 6: My personal rule of life with exerting the least effort to gain the maximum reward vs. pouring ourselves even without rewards. (Subtle influences of minimalism) 3 rd Quarter: Celebrating Christianity as possessing the way, the truth and the life in the quest of happiness. 4 th Quarter: Empowered to live and lead other Catholics along the right path with the example of our lives as the way to the New Evangelization Topic 7: God and happiness: People s quest for happiness is a quest for God Happiness is union with God. Topic 8: The Philosophy of Jesus as the ultimate philosophy for happiness: self-donation and service. Topic 9: Catholicism as the dynamic way of life that encourages and empowers each individual to become the best-version-of-himself or herself Topic 10: What sets you apart? Our mission and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit Topic 11: Being spiritual people: Living the charismatic spirituality Topic 12: Integration for the whole year: Who are you as a New Evangelizer

3 Household Topics at the Dawn of the Era for the New Evangelization 2 nd Quarter Topic 4: Call of the New Evangelization to Live Authentic Lives: On Individualism The New Evangelization is first about understanding why good, intelligent, decent and contributing Catholics, at the least, do not practice their faith enough or leave the Church altogether. This is even before we can talk about programs. Their actions and behaviour we discovered is a cry for help saying: Don t tell me. Show me! They simply want to witness someone and anyone, for that matter, whose words are supported by the authority of their actions; someone humbly, with all his frailties, but heroically striving to live an authentic life based on the principles and values of the Gospel of Jesus. A certain G.K. Chresterton wrote: Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. Maybe this is particularly true to many who have rejected Catholicism or who are critical about it. Maybe, they are just in need of a courageous example of the authentic life. Seeing the conflicts and contradictions we live, they most of the time silently cry Hypocrite! in their frustration, pain and anger. In their disillusionment and search, they never cease to call out to us like sheep without a shepherd, needing to be fed and be led to greener pastures of kindness, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, acceptance and love. The call of the New Evangelization is a time for us to humbly look into our minds, hearts and soul if we have truly explored and embraced our Catholic lifestyle in keeping with the principles and values of the Jesus. Maybe we have given ourselves subtly over to a thousand different whims, cravings, and fantasies of the world and made our lives a distortion of the truth we know and profess. This will be the orientation of the household topics for this 2 nd quarter. One of the strong but subtle influences of the world in our way of thinking and behaving is individualism. When faced with a decision, the question that seems to dominate the internal dialogue in our head is What s in it for me? The prevailing trend governing our decision-making process is concern for self. 1. How is individualism showing its ugly face in marital relationship, our family relationships and our community? 2. What is Jesus teaching and invitation? How are you being challenged to be a servant to your spouse, children or family and community? 3. What do you resolve to do to witness the gospel value of being the servant of all or being the last? 1. Jesus life is that of self-donation expressed in service. His self-sacrifice is without measure to the point of giving His whole life.

4 Topic 5: Call of the New Evangelization to Live Authentic Lives: On the Good Life & Pleasure The challenge of the New Evangelization is Letting our life speak. It is about allowing the values, principles, and spirit of the Gospel to transform our lives. The only way living authentic Christian lives is possible is by following the promptings and action of the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church today is experiencing tremendous problems and difficulties. Our time is no different from earlier ages. The solution to problems that plague our lives and the Church has never changed. The problems are varied and many yet the solution is one PERSONAL HOLINESS. How is this? If we allow the values and principles of the Gospel to guide us in all situations of our life, in all problems and difficulty, it will turn out for the best. This means that we will turn out to be better persons for having lived the Gospel in that situation. They may not turn out as we wish though. But because of this, the result will always be richer. This leads us to one fundamental challenge: Do I really believe that living the Gospel is life-giving and that it will lead to a better life? This is the challenge of the New Evangelization to embrace and celebrate the teachings of Christ in each moment of our lives. Holiness is simply the application of the values, principles and spirit of the Gospel to every situation of our lives, one moment at a time. It is not complicated but rather disarmingly simple. Though simple, it is not easy. Another strong but very subtle attack of the world on people is the way of thinking that if it feels good, do it! This thinking flows from individualism What s in it for me?. Men and women governed by such thinking will make decisions based on pursuing pleasure as the ultimate goal in life. This produces men and women who are lazy, lustful and gluttonous. It is a ticket to enslavement by the many cravings and addictions, and in the long run, the destruction of culture as what happened to the mighty Roman Empire. This influence at the end produces not pleasure but despair. Many walk this path in their search of happiness, confusing happiness with pleasure. 1. At the very center of Christianity is the cross. In our daily life, how have we been making short cuts to avoid the painful experience of going through the cross? 2. Following Jesus is based on discipline. How have we been warding off the spirit of the world to embrace the Spirit of God in a life of discipline? In our use of time, how much have we been spending to be with God or to study His word? In the use of our money? In our relationships? 3. How am I being distracted from the discipline of the Lord by instant gratification? 4. What do you resolve to do to be a witness to the gospel value of discipline as a follower of Jesus? 1. Discipline of Jesus is a faithful friend who will introduce us to our true self. 2. Discipline of Jesus is our worthy protector who will defend us from our lesser self. 3. Discipline of Jesus is our mentor who will challenge us to become the best of ourselves and all that God created us to be.

5 Topic 6: Call of the New Evangelization to Live Authentic Lives: On the Mediocrity God gave us a yearning for happiness that constantly haunts us and preoccupies our hearts. This yearning for happiness in our hearts seems to serve as our spiritual navigational instrument to lead us to our destiny: God himself, who is the very author of our desire for happiness. God as our Father takes a sincere and active interest in our lives and has sent His only Son to teach us how to satisfy this yearning we have for happiness. The teaching of Jesus is the ultimate way and path to human happiness. It is not just a way to be happy but the WAY OF LIFE for happiness. The way of Jesus to happiness is however opposed to popular notion of the world which we have reflected upon in the past two household topics. The attitude of Christ never asked, What is in it for me? but rather is motivated by a spirit of service. The attitude of Jesus embraces the cross as a way to abundance of life as against the glorification of pleasure and reckless living. We may have experienced glimpses of happiness outside the values and principles of the Gospel in our misguided adventures but they are simply stolen moments that do not last. They may have appeared to be real but only to be shadows of something infinitely greater. We come to the third subtle influence of the world but nevertheless so strong. It is the way of thinking that always asks, What is the least I can do?. Such a way of thinking seeks to exert the minimum effort and receive the maximum reward. Either consciously or subconsciously people may be asking, what is the least I can do to keep my marriage alive? What is the least I can do to stay physically fit? What is the least I can do to go to heaven? It produces a disease in men and women to be mediocre no passion, no drive for excellence. It is eating away our Church and communities. You may have heard the story of a frog placed in a pot of cold water. Each day the temperature of the water was raised. The frog stayed in the pot without any reaction even to its death because of hot water. That is how mediocrity eats away our life. Scripture says in Revelation 3: 16 So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Jesus also teaches Anyone who is not for me is against me. There is no middle ground. 1. How does mediocrity show its face in the life of a disciple? Compromise? Rationalization? Double life or standard? 2. How do you see mediocrity operating in community and our Church? Being simply silent? Not taking a stand? Not making a choice when faced with issues in the defence of life and family? 3. What is God s invitation to you? 1. No middle ground we are either for Jesus or not at all. 2. The example of Jesus he gave his life, his all.