Pastor in rural Georgia was
visiting a hospital.
A parishioner had just given
birth to a child.
He found the young father
looking through the glass at his baby.
Baby was making all sorts of
racket.
It’s OK – cleans out her
lungs, gets her voice going.
Oh she’s mad as . . . saw collar,
sorry father.
OK – but why is she mad?
Won’t you be mad – one minute
you are with God in heaven and the next minute you are in Georgia.
You believe she was with God
before she came here? Oh yeah.
Will she remember?
Well, that’s up to her mother
and me. And the church. We’ve got to see
she remembers, because if she forgets, she is a goner.
She is a goner.
Fasting growing group in
America – no religion tripled in 30
years.
God is being pushed out – of personal
iife – social life – political life - culture
75% Catholics – gone from
Mass.
Second largest group in
America after Catholics - ex Catholics
Gone –
Personally it makes me crazy
- sign over front doors of College
Seminary
Salus Animarum Suprema
Lex -
worry about their souls.
Evangelize - Like Baptist – look, there is the Lamb of God
- point the way.
Missionary work of church –
now has 3 dimensions
1)
Ordinary evangelization
toward practicing Catholics, fueled by sacraments
2)
Mission toward
non-Christians – used to occupy much energy, less now most have heard of
Christ.
3)
New
Evangelization - not about a new
message & not about boosting numbers – tries now to
engage inactive Catholics - to
rediscover the person of Jesus and the beauty of the Catholic faith. It is new because of who does it - YOU
NEW because our culture has changed – we must understand it. Biggest shift in church in 500 years.
Great resource – Father Robert
Barron - Catholicism - Word
on Fire
Go on You Tube - type Father Robert Barron - so much to learn.
Consider - Father Barron’s New Evangelization for Lent - 6
weeks 1 & ½ hour
Will she remember? That’s up
to her mother & me - the church – if not, she is a goner!
