May - St. Augustine Catholic

In 1974, Pope Paul VI asked
the church fathers attending
the Synod on Evangelization
three important questions:
1. In our day, what has
happened to that hidden
energy of the Good News,
which is able to have a
powerful effect on man’s
conscience? 2. To what
extent and in what way
is that evangelical force capable of
really transforming the people of this
century? 3. What methods should be
followed in order that the power of the
Gospel may have its effect?
I look forward to exploring these three
questions with evangelization, stewardship
and RCIA leadership at the upcoming
Catholic Faith in Action conference, June 2,
at San José Catholic Church in Jacksonville.
However, I welcome this opportunity to
entice us to explore in this Easter season the
answers as it pertains to the essential mission
of the church – evangelization and two very
related ministries, stewardship and the RCIA.
Key to these three ministries is the call to
discipleship. The church exists to evangelize
and our very identity as members in the
Body of Christ is discipleship. However, all
too often we do not think of ourselves as
disciples. Over these past few years with all
that has been going on in our church in the
area of sexual abuse by those in authority
and a lack of appropriate responses by
some in leadership, I often ask myself
the question why am I doing what I am
doing? I am sure I am not alone in asking
this question. And, the answer to that
question transformed my days. However,
I also believe each of our days would be
powerful days if we began them by asking
ourselves the same question when we
look into the mirror each morning – why
am I doing what I am doing? The answer
is I am a disciple of Jesus Christ! What a
powerful answer for us to savor – what a
powerful answer to prioritize the issues
before us each day and to keep everything
in perspective.
The theme of discipleship was
strengthened in 1992 by two documents
published by the American Bishops: Go
and Make Disciples: A National Plan and
Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the
United States and, Stewardship: A Disciple’s
Response. These documents are so closely
special
aligned that the bishops were at one point
considering joining them together into one
document. Again, our very identity in the
essential mission of the church is that we
are disciples. As disciples there are two
Paulist Father John E. Hurley of Washington,
D.C., is the keynote speaker at the Catholic
Faith in Action conference on June 2 at San
José Catholic Church, Jacksonville.
things that become immediately clear for us.
First, we are disciples of Jesus Christ. And,
secondly, we are entrusted with a mission
to go forth and proclaim the Good News.
In doing so, we must prioritize the use
of our time, our talent and our resources
in fulfilling this mission. Of course, this
prioritization is called stewardship.
If the term evangelization itself was hard
enough for many of us to grasp, stewardship
challenged us all the more. Stewardship in its
earliest forms of renewal primarily focused
on resources and not as much on time and
talent. All three are essential in a disciple’s
response to our call in baptism. Our bishops
in the stewardship pastoral reminded us
that we are also called to be good stewards
of our vocational call to discipleship. The
appropriate use of our time, talent and
resources is supposed to draw us into a
deeper relationship with Christ. And, in
doing so, we become a brighter light for
others to see and be drawn to.
The fruit of effective discipleship and
stewardship is that others will be drawn to
the church through its witness in the world.
The ministry that each of us participates
in is a proclamation of the Good News of
Jesus Christ. And, if done effectively this
provides those who do not belong to the
Body of Christ an opportunity to explore the
light they have seen. Some who witness the
Good News of Jesus Christ in our times seek
to know more about Christ in the church
and the process designed from ancient
times is known to us at the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults or more commonly
known as the RCIA process. After all, the
Great Commission entrusted to us is to make
disciples of all nations. (Mt. 28:19)
This Easter time, the Catholic Church
in the United States will welcome more
than 100,000 new adult members into the
church. In their formation process, they
explore their call to discipleship and will
also discern how they can best use their
time, talent and resources to proclaim the
Good News of Jesus Christ. However, this
Easter each of us who are baptized members
of the church renew our own baptismal call
and this Easter season is the perfect time for
us to assess our own response to the Good
News of Jesus Christ, risen and alive in our
world through our witness.
Father John E. Hurley, CSP, is director
of the Paulist North American Office for
Reconciliation in Washington, D.C. As the
former executive director of the USCCB
Secretariat for Evangelization (1997-2005),
Father Hurley played a critical role in the
shaping of the document on evangelization.
Catholic Faith in Action: Living
as Disciples Inside and Out
Keynote Speaker:
Father John E. Hurley, CSP
Saturday, June 2
9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
San José Catholic Church
3619 Toledo Road, Jacksonville
Cost: $10/includes lunch
Registration deadline: May 25
Registration forms available online at
www.dosafl.com or call
(904) 262-3200, ext. 117
This biannual conference is primarily
for parish leadership in the areas of
Evangelization, Stewardship and the
RCIA, but interested parishioners
are invited to attend.
St. Augustine Catholic May 2007 17