Lesson 40 - Evangelization & Ministries

(Lesson 40)

Evangelization and Ministries

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” Matt 20:28

Discussion Guide:

Each member of the Church is called upon to spread the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus told his disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16). Our faith is not to be kept a secret. It is common in today’s society for people to “keep their religion to themselves”. This is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ who makes it clear that an important part of our faith is to go out into the world and make more disciples. This applies not only to priests, nuns, and missionaries, but also to every follower of Christ.

The Catholic Church contains the fullness of the Christian faith. Jesus himself gave every means of salvation and sanctification to his Church. The sacraments, the Eucharist, the Sacred Scriptures, and the unity of doctrine, can only be found in the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, the field of our evangelization must contain all people who are outside of the Church (CCC 848). It must also include the multitude of Catholics who have unfortunately abandoned their faith. We should seek opportunities to draw these people into the Church. Although there are many fine aspects to all religious beliefs, they do not all lead to salvation. Even non-Catholic Christians, as much as they love the Lord, are lacking the fullness of truth. If we really believe that the teachings of the Catholic Church were handed down to us through Christ Himself, we should wish for others to share in the truth that we have found. We should desire all to eat the “Bread of Life” in the Holy Eucharist. If you’re too shy to speak openly about your faith, pray for the conversion of others. Prayer is a powerful tool for evangelization.

Very often, our actions will speak louder than our words. Getting involved in a Church ministry is a great way to demonstrate our faith to others. The laity has always played an active role of service to the Church. Jesus will work with whatever small talents we may have. If we approach service with a loving heart, Christ will bless us and we will bear fruit for the Kingdom. Pray and ask God what you can do to help others both inside and outside of the Church.

Jesus commands us to spread the good news to all of creation

Non-Catholics or non-practicing Catholics are candidates for evangelization

Ministries are a great way to witness to the faith and serve the Church

Prayer is a powerful tool for evangelization

We should support the efforts of overseas Catholic missionaries

Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity

Second Vatican Council

2. …In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a oneness of mission. Christ conferred on the Apostles and their successors the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling in His name and power. But the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world.
They exercise the apostolate in fact by their activity directed to the evangelization and sanctification of men and to the penetrating and perfecting of the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel. In this way, their temporal activity openly bears witness to Christ and promotes the salvation of men. Since the laity, in accordance with their state of life, live in the midst of the world and its concerns, they are called by God to exercise their apostolate in the world like leaven, with the ardor of the spirit of Christ.

3. ….One engages in the apostolate through the faith, hope, and charity which the Holy Spirit diffuses in the hearts of all members of the Church. Indeed, by the precept of charity, which is the Lord's greatest commandment, all the faithful are impelled to promote the glory of God through the coming of His kingdom and to obtain eternal life for all men-that they may know the only true God and Him whom He sent, Jesus Christ (cf. John 17:3). On all Christians therefore is laid the preeminent responsibility of working to make the divine message of salvation known and accepted by all men throughout the world.
For the exercise of this apostolate, the Holy Spirit Who sanctifies the people of God through ministry and the sacraments gives the faithful special gifts also (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7), "allotting them to everyone according as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:11) in order that individuals, administering grace to others just as they have received it, may also be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10), to build up the whole body in charity (cf. Eph. 4:16). From the acceptance of these charisms, including those which are more elementary, there arise for each believer the right and duty to use them in the Church and in the world for the good of men and the building up of the Church, in the freedom of the Holy Spirit who "breathes where He wills" (John 3:8). This should be done by the laity in communion with their brothers in Christ, especially with their pastors who must make a judgment about the true nature and proper use of these gifts not to extinguish the Spirit but to test all things and hold for what is good (cf. 1 Thess. 5:12,19,21).(4)

4. Since Christ, sent by the Father, is the source and origin of the whole apostolate of the Church, the success of the lay apostolate depends upon the laity's living union with Christ, in keeping with the Lord's words, "He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is nourished by spiritual aids which are common to all the faithful, especially active participation in the sacred liturgy…..

Evangelization and Ministries

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” Matt 20:28

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us to follow You by serving others. Give us the words we need to lead others to the faith. Help us to live our lives in conformity to the will of the Father. Send us the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in our time of need. Amen

Theme:

Evangelization is the responsibility of all Christians. Each member of the Church is called to spread the gospel by word and by deed. Ministries are an effective way of serving the Church and witnessing to the faith.

Bible Readings:

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Matthew 23:11-12 “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Explanation of the Bible readings: The first reading is known as the “great commission”. Jesus sends his apostles to preach the gospel all over the world. We are all called in a similar way to preach the gospel according to our individual state of life. Jesus will be with us when the opportunity presents itself to give testimony to our faith. Matthew 23:11-12 addresses the need to be humble in our ministries. There is a tendency to let our pride interfere with the Lord’s work. Try to remember that everything we do and every gift we have comes from God. If we wish to excel in holiness, we must put all other people ahead of ourselves and serve them like Christ served his apostles. He washed their feet! Finally St. Paul exhorts us to preach the gospel in its fullness and at all times. When we sugarcoat the truth and tell people only what they want to hear, we grieve the Holy Spirit. We must speak the truth with boldness, love, and patience. It is better that people initially reject the truth of the gospel, than accept a false gospel that may lead them away from Christ permanently. Meet people where they are in the faith, but always teach what the Church teaches. Never make it up as you go along.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

900 Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ. Their activity in ecclesial communities is so necessary that, for the most part, the apostolate of the pastors cannot be fully effective without it.

429 From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim him, to "evangelize", and to lead others to the "yes" of faith in Jesus Christ….

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."

905 Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, "that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay people, "this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world."

927 All religious, whether exempt or not, take their place among the collaborators of the diocesan bishop in his pastoral duty. From the outset of the work of evangelization, the missionary "planting" and expansion of the Church require the presence of the religious life in all its forms. "History witnesses to the outstanding service rendered by religious families in the propagation of the faith and in the formation of new Churches: from the ancient monastic institutions to the medieval orders, all the way to the more recent congregations."

873 The very differences which the Lord has willed to put between the members of his body serve its unity and mission. For "in the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in his name and by his power. But the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole People of God." Finally, "from both groups [hierarchy and laity] there exist Christian faithful who are consecrated to God in their own special manner and serve the salvific mission of the Church through the profession of the evangelical counsels."

899 The initiative of lay Christians is necessary especially when the matter involves discovering or inventing the means for permeating social, political, and economic realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life. This initiative is a normal element of the life of the Church:

Lay believers are in the front line of Church life; for them the Church is the animating principle of human society. Therefore, they in particular ought to have an ever-clearer consciousness not only of belonging to the Church, but of being the Church, that is to say, the community of the faithful on earth under the leadership of the Pope, the common Head, and of the bishops in communion with him. They are the Church.

910 "The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life. This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased to bestow on them."

Faith words:

Evangelization: The Bishops of the United States define evangelization as "bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself."

Laity: members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy.

Ministry: Gospel-inspired activity (generally referring to an individual rather than a group), with an emphasis on the attitude and approach brought to it.

Reflection Questions:


Can you think of a situation where the topic of your faith could easily be brought up?




Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit calling you to speak to someone about God?




Are there any particular Church ministries that you think God may be calling you to?