Are you Christian or Catholic?

Are you Christian or Catholic?

[[PAUSE - LET PEOPLE THINK ABOUT IT AND RESPOND]]

It is actually a trick question - you are both Christian and Catholic.  Let me explain.

First use of Christian - Acts of the Apostles

The first use of Christian was by St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.  Prior to this we were known as people of “the way”.  In Antioch, (in about 43 or 44 AD) St. Luke records that members of the Church were referred to as Christians, which means “those who are like Christ”.

First use of Catholic - St. Ignatius of Antioch

The first written use of the word Catholic - was by St. Ignatius of Antioch who lived from 35 to 110AD - in his letter to the Smyrneans - and he used the Greek word Catholic - to refer to the Church - that the Church was full and complete when the clergy and the people were one, united.

Golden Nugget: We think as human beings do when we calculate life by what we can win, keep, and avoid, especially crosses that demand sacrifice. Christ presents a different approach: life is found by giving it away. Discipleship means surrendering the need to win, embracing the cross, and spending ourselves in service.

What does it mean to spend ourselves in service?

St. Paul - Discern what is Good / Pleasing / Perfect

In the 2nd reading today - St. Paul invites us to “discern what is the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect”.

To help us in this I want to invite you to consider the following questions to share

• What have I done to grow in my faith?

• In what way have I allowed myself to be challenged by the Lord?

• In what way is the Lord calling me to grow?

Ministry is a way to grow in Holiness

Ministry comes from the Latin word ministerium, meaning "service, attendance, or office," which derives from minister, meaning "servant" or "attendant." The root of minister is minus (lesser), making a minister literally a lesser or subordinate helper who serves another.

To be involved in a ministry means to subordinate yourself to the service of another.

Father Randy challenged the Deacons to reflect on the different ministries that they have been involved with - to share from that experience.

I have been involved in one ministry or another for the past 37 years.  

Liturgical Ministries

• Lector, Extra-ordinary minister, Taize, Preacher, Minister, Celebrant, Deacon

Youth Ministry

• Youth Group, Servers, Retreats, Hiking, Mountain Climbing, Backpacking, Mission Trips

Ministry to those in need

• Nursing Home, Divorce Ministry, Prison Ministry, Homeless Ministry, Feeding the hungry, Ministry to the dying, Hospital Ministry - ministry of presence.

Teaching Ministry

• Catechist, OCIA, Teacher

Retreat Ministry - Jeremiah “When I found your words…”

If you want to know your faith - teach it

When I was in my 20’s I was involved in a young adult ministry that led me into youth and young adult ministry. The Lord invited me to get to know Him, and challenged me to learn the Gospels, to understand who He is.  It was a time of exciting growth for me.

Over time I came to realize that the Lord was entrusting me with a teaching ministry - and I thought to myself - how can I do this?  What are my qualifications?  I went to CCD as a kid.  This led me to take my faith more seriously and to make sure that I was teaching the Gospel and nothing else.

My point here is that taking up a ministry can be exciting, you can learn and grow.  I learned this at a young age as I was the Educational Petty Officer when I was in boot camp.  It was my job to teach my shipmates what we needed to know to pass the tests about the Navy in bootcamp - things like first aid, damage control, ranks, naval history etc.  In doing that I learned that if you want to know a thing, teach a thing. - And so helping with Youth Ministry, or Catechesis or OCIA is a great way to deepen your faith.

The prophet Jeremiah reminds us of this kind of ministry when he said - “When I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart, Because I bear your name, LORD, God of hosts.” 

Coffee House - Worshiping God according to our ability

If you want to learn to love - serve others…

When I was ordained the Archbishop assigned me to work with the developmentally disabled adults.  I do this through a program called Coffee House at Light of the World throughout the fall.

Coffee House made me much more patient in ministry - it helped me to realize that good liturgy is an expression of a heart filled with love for God, and not order and perfection - those flow from love - but the core is Love because God calls us to express our heart to him.

Nursing Home Ministry - being stretched.  

If you want to understand the Spirit - serve the helpless

Nursing home ministry - It was like walking into a coffin.  Then one day I took the Eucharist to a woman who was paralyzed and the Lord showed me what I was doing.  You see in ministry you rarely see the impact of you becoming closer to Christ.  This transformed my ministry and my ability to be a witness of God’s love to those in desperate situations - how to walk with them, pray with them and bring them an encounter with Christ.

Divorce Ministry - Invited to carry the cross (Gospel)

Understand when the Lord is calling you to the Cross

Another area of ministry where I am stretched is my involvement with the Divorce Ministry here in the parish. In this ministry I journey with those who are in the midst of suffering - as they seek healing from failed marriages.  This is often painful for me - but at the same time - but this is what it means to become like Christ - to embrace the cross and follow him.

The cross is nothing you would wish on your worst enemy

With the cross, you learn to express love through suffering as Christ learned to express love through suffering.  

Ministry is a way to become like Christ - to be active in ministry is to pour out our lives in His service.  

In what way is the Lord calling you to be a Catholic Christian?  To become more fully like Christ?