Dear fellow parishioners,
Together as a parish, we have the vision of becoming “an evangelizing parish, driven out of our comfort zones by the Holy Spirit to proclaim Jesus Christ – the Way, the Truth, and the Life”. Jesus himself gave all members of the Church this mission: “Go, and make disciples of all nations”. Do you accept this mission?
Maybe you still aren’t sure of your answer. Maybe you genuinely love Jesus and want to share the Gospel with others, but would rather stay in your comfort zone. Maybe you have a desire to evangelize more, but don’t know where to start?
If this is you, I have some suggestions of great audio talks from Formed.org that have been personally helpful to me. When I needed to be challenged, inspired, or motivated to act, these speakers helped me to understand the call to evangelization, and do something real about it.
- Check out “Fan or Follower? Your relationship with Jesus” by Jeff Cavins for a good look into your own heart. We are called to be “driven out of our comfort zones”, can you surrender your comfort to Jesus? Can you follow him even if it is uncomfortable?
- It is not enough to simply believe. We are called to act. Have a listen to “Beyond Belief: Following Christ Today” by Fr. Mike Shmitz. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Allow Christ to change your life. Be changed by the love of Christ, and then “Go, and make disciples”.
- In today’s world, living our mission is not easy. How do I begin to live the New Evangelization? In “Swimming Upstream: Going Against the Current Culture”, Stephen Ray shows us what we can learn about how to become a witness for Christ from the early Christians, who were also driven out of comfort zones by the Holy Spirit.
- It would be a daunting and discouraging task to leave our comfort zones and try to “make disciples of all nations”, if it weren’t for the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank the Lord we don’t have to go it alone! In “Contemporary Sainthood”, Mark Hart teaches on the topic of unleashing the Holy Spirit in your own life. We have the greatest helper at our disposal, if only we would invite Him to work in us.
In this new year 2020, let’s embrace our calling! Let’s be driven out of our comfort zones by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim Jesus to everyone we meet. Let’s do it together!
Your friend,
Kate Hundt
