The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
In my coronavirus captivity, God was shaping me into the woman I need to be when I fully emerge into a new life. He was giving me the strength, wisdom, and faith to survive in the world outside that was becoming so different from what I remembered. He was teaching me not to expect or long for the old life I had, but to trust Him for this new life He has for me.
A uniquely effective and timely guidebook for the New Evangelization, I’m delighted to have this opportunity to review Nancy Ward’s Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips & Testimonies. This unique guidebook is a much-needed work for our time. As most know, decades of disastrously poor formation programs have led the Church to a worldwide crisis of faith.
Our focus on the new evangelization makes Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story perfect for parish studies and for the individual seeking opportunities for one-on-one sharing,
Nancy Ward quotes C. S. Lewis: “If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon.” She responds that “C.S. Lewis’ approach to facing hardship shifted my concern from preparing as best I could for shortages and remaining vigilant in protecting my health to thanking God for the lessons he is teaching me to draw me closer to him this Lent of surprises.”
One of the first persons I talked to about my faith was struggling with a sibling relationship. My heart filled with compassion for her. God’s grace of compassion rose from within me as I remembered his miraculous healing of my similar struggle. His compassion overflowed into caring more for her than for my discomfort in sharing how God had given me the grace to forgive someone in my family. I didn’t hesitate when the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray with her and share how God had delivered me from an unforgiving heart and bitterness. I forgot I wasn’t in my comfort zone and spontaneously spoke from my heart. The experience was so freeing! It brought me so much joy! But I still didn’t wasn’t sure how to evangelize.
Latest posts: Cause of Our Joy: How Mary helps us share our story – I discovered Mary’s place in my life and in the Church quite late into my life-long conversion as a Catholic. I began paying attention to what I accepted in my head but never got to my heart, like the importance of Mary. NewEvangelizers: Butterflies at Wal-Mart? Her touch seemed to freeze us in time. I barely was aware of the noisy crowd as if the three of us were invisible to them. Friars Corner: Jesus wants to be our best friend and savior – May the Holy Spirit pierce your heart and mind in these first days of the New Year with great amazement for all that God does for us each day. May you spend a little time each may just loving the Trinity from the depths of your heart. Prayer Companion: Come, Holy Spirit – How do we acquire the Holy Spirit when we are alone, frustrated, and confused? A prayer that works anywhere, anytime: “Come, Holy Spirit!” This calms us and brings us into communion with God. The Gate of the Year – And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” Best of 2019: I wanted an Everyday Church – I wanted to be part of that original church, to be in close relationship with Jesus like those kneeling, receiving his body and blood as often as they could, to know about saints and martyrs who went before us in faith.
“Acquire the Holy Spirit and thousands around you will acquire salvation” – St. Seraphim of Sarov St. Seraphim dreamed big. Honored by both the Roman Catholic (today) and Orthodox (January 15) calendars, this wonderworker emphasized seeking communion with God as the true purpose of life for every Christian. St. Seraphim’s life demonstrated that everything else was merely the means for “acquiring the Holy Spirit.” Wait! Didn’t we acquire the Holy Spirit at baptism and weren’t we sealed with the gift of the Spirit at Confirmation? Can’t we acquire more of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or receive the Eucharist? A resounding “yes” to all of these.
Enjoy six posts on JoyAlive.net that launched the Christmas season we are celebrating. A letter home from my Father on Christmas Eve from Germany in 1944; Catholicmom.com: Something wonderful is about to happen recalls how, as a young mom far away from home, I almost missed experiencing the spirit of Christmas; Friar’s Corner: Rejoice! Jesus is always with us; Last Buy One, Gift One Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story of the year; Don’t miss the great blessing of Christmas like the Innkeeper at Bethlehem; Friar’s Corner: Christ’s Mission is possible! We are Jesus’ friends, ambassadors and evangelists, sent to bring God’s good news into the world.
Something wonderful is about to happen to you. Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Are you ready for His joyful coming? Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12:35) He wants to give you something amazing, and He’s trying to get your attention. With all the secular signs of Christmas in the streets and malls and on the Internet, it’s refreshing to walk into a church and see the purple banners and the Advent candles surrounded by a wreath of greenery. Do you sense the coming of something magnificent?