In the first section of Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization, a new document by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, we read, Christ calls all people to himself. Throughout his public ministry, the Lord Jesus welcomed the stranger, healed…
Commanded to be Witnesses
I’ve been working my way, slowly, through Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization, a new document by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. From the preface: Christ commands us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. We…
An Unlikely Disciple
When I stop to think about the work I do, whether in the various venues I write or in my own home, it’s hard to stop from being paralyzed. Who am I to give anyone advice about Christianity? Who am I to…
Plant seeds and leave it to the Holy Spirit
I like to think I have some powers of persuasion, that I am good with words. But still, the fact remains: I have never succeeded in converting another person. A few years ago, I nearly severed a close friendship in…
Sharing Mary
Sometimes, it’s far easier for me to talk about my faith than it is to live my faith. Take Mary, for example. I have a huge and ever-growing devotion to the Blessed Mother, and I’ve even written quite a bit…
Star of the New Evangelization
The stars were GPS for the sailors of many years ago, and Mary is our GPS when it comes to the New Evangelization. Her perfect knowledge of Jesus will lead us closer to Him, if only we let it. We…
It takes a village…a parish…a FAMILY
When I left my job in marketing and advertising for the parish office, I might have had a secret plan to bring some glamour to the three-bedroom house that then served as headquarters for the parish staff of three. Now,…
Smile while you evangelize!
I’m late, by at least two months, getting to Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s speech from February about New Evangelization. If you haven’t already, do read it all. In the first mention of New Evangelization, Dolan, who already had my attention, grabbed it…
Making an Old Story New
When I stand in front of my fifth grade class as a catechist, animated and enthusiastic, and mention “Easter,” I can see their eyes start to glaze over. “Isn’t Easter just about coloring eggs and icing cookies?” their initial reactions…
Defining New Evangelization
There sure is a buzz about New Evanglization. Everyone seems to be talking about it, doing it, or talking about doing it. And it has made me wonder: what, exactly, is the New Evangelization? What I mean is, how do I…