Connection to Christ Person to Person Person IntentionalMinistry

SO HOW DO WE EVANGELIZE? Connection to Christ

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) “Unless the missionary is a contemplative, he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. He is a witness to the experience of God, and must be able to say with the apostles: ‘that which we have looked upon… concerning the Word of life…we proclaim to you.’” (JPII, RM 91) CONNECTION TO CHRIST

SO HOW DO WE GET AND STAY CONNECTED TO CHRIST? “It is necessary…to rediscover the full practical significance of… the universal call to holiness.” (JPII, NMI 30, stress added) “The time has come to repropose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living…” (ibid. 31)

THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE: THE DISCIPLESHIP WHEEL 5 22

THE CENTER: CHRIST “I am the vine. You are the branches…” (Jn 15:5) “…it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me…” (Gal 2:20)

HEART AND HABITS OF DISCIPLESHIP: SACRAMENTS 22 7

SACRAMENTAL LIFE “…he who eats me will live because of me.” (Jn 6:57) If the Church is the Body of Christ, the sacraments are the arteries that carry the blood to the members. They are pure channels of His self-gift: His grace. Regular, conscious reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

HEART AND HABITS OF DISCIPLESHIP: PRAYER 22 9 Prayer

PRAYER “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7) “This training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer” (JPII, NMI 32).

THE SAINTS ON PRAYER “…prayer is a surge of the heart…” (St. Therese of Lisieux) “Prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us” (St. Teresa of Avila). “Prayer develops that conversation with Christ which makes us His intimate friends: ‘Abide in me and I in you’ (Jn 15:4). This reciprocity is the very substance and soul of the Christian life, and the condition for all true pastoral life.” (JPII, NMI 32)

HEART AND HABITS OF DISCIPLESHIP: THE WORD Prayer The Word

THE WORD “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps 119:105) “God’s Word is unpredictable in its power.” (EG 22) “Lectio Divina… will bring to the Church – I am convinced of it – a new spiritual springtime” (BXVI, address on 40 th Anniversary of Dei Verbum).

HEART AND HABITS OF DISCIPLESHIP: COMMUNITY PRAYER THE WORD COMMUNITY

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20) Relationship with God is nourished within community (body of Christ) bound by the Holy Spirit in love. A member cannot be severed from body otherwise it dies. We need one another for support, encouragement, accountability, and perseverance.

HEART AND HABITS OF DISCIPLESHIP: EVANGELIZATION Prayer The Word CommunityEvangelization

EVANGELIZATION “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (Jn 15:11) Mission flows from and toward communion. Not something extra, but my very vocation. Therefore if I am not evangelizing, my Christian vocation is in danger.

HEART AND HABITS OF DISCIPLESHIP: OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST THROUGH THE CHURCH The Word CommunityEvangelization Prayer

OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST THROUGH THE CHURCH “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he is it who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (Jn 14:21) Holds it all together: moral formation. With regard to formation in virtues in accordance with one’s state in life Disciplines of the Church

“ALL OF THESE TASKS ARE NECESSARY” (GDC 87.1) The Word CommunityEvangelization Prayer

Connection to Christ Person to Person Person