So, I am currently sitting my official parish office, typing on my official computer with the official parish dish washer is doing its thing on the other side of the official wall. So, this is ministry life. I like it.
I haven't had that much to do since it is my first week and my pastor was out of town until Thursday. I have been taking the time to do research and find materials for projects and endeavors I hope to do this year. I've checked the USCCB website, done Google searches, looked at Reddit.....for a couple hours, and while it's all good stuff, I'm still a little lost in terms of what to do for now. That's OK, because these things will take time.
One of the roles I'll have in the parish is evangelization. Basically, I'm going to be the one trying to get people interested in the Church.
We're doomed.
No, I have enough faith in myself that I will be able to do this, but I'm going to have to really work hard. My goal won't be to make people immediately join the Church, but if they did that would be wonderful. My goal is to teach others about the Church and why it is great to be a part of a Catholic community. If people were rushing into the Church like it was the end of the world, they would be entering the Church uninformed, and one thing that the Catholic Church does not need is uninformed Catholics. You don't have to have a Masters in Theology, but it would be nice if people knew the basics; 10 Commandments, Jesus' death and resurrection, all that fun stuff.
But back to the main issue; I'M going to have to convince people that the Catholic Church is a great place to be. ME! Maybe if Mark Walberg was standing next to me, I would be able to generate some interest, but I'm not the best spokesperson for the Catholic faith. How am I going to convince people that being a Catholic is something special?
Well, I could do what Jesus did. No, I don't mean making the blind see and turning water into wine (though that would lower my bar tab quite a bit). No, should follow Jesus' example of being with the people; getting on their level. I mean, when you think about it, Jesus literally did get on our level. He came down from heaven so that He could be with us and bring us salvation. He literally got as low as you could get in Jewish society, a carpenter, so that he could preach to everyone, rich or poor, and connect to their lives and their struggles.
See, everyone in Jewish society knew that a Messiah was coming, but everyone had different ideas as to what the he would look like. Some groups, like the Pharisees and the Sadducees thought He would be a great scholar and keeper of the law, while the Zealots thought He would be a great warrior who would come help liberate the Jewish people from Roman rule. You can imagine everyone surprise when a lowly carpenter went around claiming to be their long awaited savior and how mad they were about this turn of events.
This makes sense, because God does not give us what we want, He gives us what we need, and what we needed was a carpenter for a Messiah. He could talk with pretty much anyone He wanted. He would go to anyone who needed Him. He could have followers who were just like Him; normal working class people. And He accepted everyone. That is the kind of Messiah that we have and that is how I can attempt to reach others.
I've always considered myself a pretty good listener, and I hope that by listening to others, I can help understand them and the role God has for them. I guess that it would also be important to let the people come to me. I'm not going to Mormonize my ministry and go door to door. Instead, I just want be available and inviting to others. I haven't talked about my plans for Evan with my pastor/boss yet, but hopefully he will be able to give me some ideas. I also don't know what type of evangelization I will be doing, so I'll have to adjust based on the situation. Any advice/tips would be appreciated!
My Discipleship is only beginning, but I see so many possibilities for the future. Some are grand and won't probably be achieved during my time here, but there are others that I could start and make sure that they continue after I'm gone. All I really hope to do this year is love and serve like Jesus, because that is His call for us.
Peace and Love
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