1. Christian Witness The Journey of Intentional Discipleship

2. We Are The Church... The Fulfillment of Christ’s dream He asked us to spread the Word! It is our obligation, as disciples, to share the Good News in whatever way we can To live our lives differently – they will know us by our love The dream of Christ is carried out through empowerment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit Not just for ourselves, but for the whole world

3. Now You are Catholic... But What Kind of Catholic Will You Become? Intentional Catholic or Cultural Catholic? Spiritually Active or Spiritually Passive?

4. Is Everyone who goes to Mass the Same? Obviously Not! But they mostly all Catholic, Right?

5. The Catholics – a Strange Mix “The Active”

6. “The Passive” There on Sundays (not every week) but never any other time; warning: they often look devout, not any different from the active!

7. They often have a mix of Christian beliefs and misconceptions; aka “unevangelized” What they know about the Catholicism is usually limited to childhood or teen years. RCIA neophytes know way more than they do! Former Catholics Who Have Wandered Back after Lots of Years Away

8. Spiritual but Not Religious People Even though they say they are Catholic, they are really do NOT claim a Catholic identity. They believe in God, pray, are good people, but usually do not believe or follow what Church teaches.

9. What Do Most Catholics Know About Their Faith? Some know A LOT – Went to Catholic schools, Faith Formation, regularly read the bible and other books, study, pray, talk about their faith, etc. Some know a MEDIUM amount - Went to Catholic schools, Catholic college, but probably haven’t taken a refresher course since then. Some know BASIC principles from childhood/teen years but have never studied beyond that. Some know VERY LITTLE – They are “cultural Catholics.” They are there because family is Catholic. That’s it. WARNING! LOTS OF CATHOLICS THINK THEY KNOW THEIR FAITH BUT THEY REALLY HAVE NEVER HAD ANY ADULT FORMATION NOR HAVE THEY SOUGHT IT!

10. The Fluidity of Religion Today Some Sobering Facts Only about 30% of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing (meaning that they go to mass once a month) Half are at Mass on a given weekend

11. 38% hold to their Catholic identity but seldom or never attend Mass 32% no longer consider themselves to be Catholic at all 10% of all adults in US are ex-Catholics; 2.6% are Converts SO THAT MEANS... 42% ARE CONSIDERED “NONES,” (not affliliated)

12. Why Catholics Become “Nones” Some just drift away Some stop believing in teachings about moral issues Some were not brought up with a strong faith identity Some say they just haven’t yet found the right religion

13. Three Spiritual Journeys: We Need all Three! Personal interior journey— also called “intentional discipleship” Ecclesial Journey—into the Church via sacraments of initiation Journey of Active Practice – Getting involved in a community; giving back

14. Unfortunate Reality: Most think “Catholic Identity” is regarding oneself as Catholic and attending Mass regularly... Misconception! Most think one need not ask about the first journey if the second and third are in place... Misconception!

15. RCIA Invites you to Integrate all 3 Learning the faith as an adult is a different model than most “Cradle Catholics” experience It’s all about INTENTIONALITY It’s all about DISCIPLESHIP It’s all about encountering the PERSONAL, PASSIONATE PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST

16. The Presence of Intentional Disciples Changes Everything “Disciples pray with passion. Disciples worship. Disciples love the Church and serve her with energy and joy. Disciples give lavishly. Disciples hunger to learn more about their faith. Disciples fill every formation class in a parish or diocese. Disciples manifest charisms and discern vocations. They clamor to discuss God’s call because they long to live it. Disciples evangelize because they have really good news to share. Disciples share their faith with their children. Disciples care about the poor and about issues of justice. Disciples take risks for the King of God.” From “Forming Intentional Disciples” by Sherry Weddell, p. 81

17. Living the Faith Life-Long Goals Objective Goal – Realization and expansion of the Christian message: Salvation - a cosmic, timeless event Subjective Goal – Continual application of the gifts God has given to each of us (i.e., the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit” received at Confirmation, talents and charisms) Positive Disposition Goal – Adoption of a life-long commitment to change and grow by actively seeking opportunities of grace; includes the expectation that God is with you and will guide you on the journey

18. Remember What You Learned: It is superstition to think that the sacraments are “magic” and we don’t have to do anything to participate in the grace they give us. Instead, we need to respond every day!

19. Passively Receiving a Sacrament is Not Enough In the past,,any Catholics believed (and some still do), “The sacrament will take care of itself.” This is a misconception!

20. Grace is directly related to: Personal faith commitment, lived everyday Spiritual expectancy that God is with us Hunger for God; how we approach life, the sacraments

21. Relationship is the Key... For us, explicit attachment to Jesus Christ is a sign that our inner disposition is correct. Many find this hard to articulate but we need to at least try!

22. Passively going to Church even once a week is not enough Without a personal journey, it is easy to lose the glow of initiation Fit your life into God, not God into your life See “All Things In God” and “God in All Things” You might need help on the journey – stay connected to the faith community! But how?

23. Form a Small Faith Sharing Group Anyone Interested?

24. Stewardship: Care for Others and for the Environment Seeing everything as GIFT Giving back the gifts God has given to us Experiences of God radically change us, mind and heart – “metanoia” But the zeal to change can fade away unless we heighten our awareness and prioritize growing in our faith Application of your Charisms – how can you return what has been given to you?

25. Application of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Wisdom Understanding Knowledge Right Judgment Reverence Courage Wonder/Awe

26. Wisdom (Sophia) Wisdom is not the quoting of facts. Wisdom is a “view from the hilltop,” a gift that allows a person to see life/the world from God's point of view. In other words, Wisdom is the ability to recognize truth. The ability and desire to contemplate God in all things – all things in God. A gift for the second half of life

27. Understanding Intuition of the deep things of God; An inner-most focus on the ultimate meaning of life Ability to see others and the world “with God’s eyes” The gift of deep compassion for others.

28. Knowledge The gift of desire to learn about the faith; to study, to grow intellectually and spiritually--a gift of the first half of life! Search for the meaning and purpose God has for each person Focus on how to live up to this meaning. An action, not just a desire, to incorporate God into every decision A kind of deep-down knowing, grounding intuition, of what really matters in life

29. Right Judgment Also called the gift of Counsel Discernment of good and evil, right and wrong. Ability to make decisions based on the will of God rather than ego- centric needs and concerns. Strengthens moral decisions; increases prudence Seeding all of life’s decisions against the eternal horizon of God’s plan for creation

30. Courage Also known as the Gift of Fortitude. Ability to put aside fear and to stand up to any spiritual threat that comes from the outside; To take a stand for good against evil when the occasion arises. Gives strength to do the right thing Call to Counter-cultural life Actions that stand against adversity

31. Reverence Desire to serve and worship God out of love, not just duty. A sense of justice in regard to God, Creatures and Creation A standing up for the life, dignity of the individual, no matter the age or disposition A sense that all of life is holy – both creature and creation – the ability to see and love God in the created order

32. Wonder or Awe Also called “Fear of the Lord” A heightened respect for God – puts God in the proper perspective – transcendent, mysterious, all-powerful, etc. Embracing of paradox - God is both beyond us and deep within us Holding the tension or fear of losing the intimate relationship by not wanting to offend God in any way The beginning of Wisdom – knowing one’s place in the created order; admitting powerlessness

33. Where are you now on the Journey of Faith? Where are you going?

34. How Will These Gifts be Poured Out Through You?