Category Archives: Evangelization

Catholic Media Promotion Day

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Catholic Media Promotion Day

Today, March 15th, Catholics throughout social networking and the blogosphere are promoting different forms of Catholic media, and with good reason. Over the past couple of years, Pope Benedict has been encouraging Catholics to use the new forms of media that the Internet has made available to us. Through his messages for the World Communication Days, the Holy Father has made it clear that we need to be using all forms of media – whether traditional print, TV, radio, or New Media – to spread the Gospel.

In the spirit of Catholic Media Promotion Day, here are some ways Catholics are using media to spread the Gospel:

Blogs

One of the easiest way to preach the Gospel is through establishing and posting to a blog. Here are 4 of the many I like:

  • What Does the Prayer Really Say? – Fr. Zuhlsdorf (Fr. Z) speaks on matters of liturgy and Catholicism in the culture
  • Catholic and Enjoying It! – Catholic convert and apologist Mark Shea publishes every thought of his “no matter how stupid”. Discusses Catholic views on politics, popular culture, and GK Chesterton
  • The Chant Café – Discussing and educating on the role of chant within Catholic practice
  • New Liturgical Movement – Working towards a true reform of the liturgy

Podcasts

Catholics talking about Catholicism, all for free download:

  • Catholic Pilot – Captain Jeff discusses flight, being a pilot, and Catholicism
  • iPadre – Fr. Jay Fanelli fulfills his role as a priest and shares the Gospel
  • In Between Sundays – Nick and Pat talk about being a young adult Catholic

Other Media

Radio, TV, Newspapers and more!

  • EWTN – The flagship television, radio, and Internet network founded by a very outspoken Poor Claire nun
  • The Catholic Channel – The Archdiocese of New York sponsored station on SiriusXM satellite radio (listening to it as I type this post!)
  • National Catholic Register – Weekly newspaper in the United States sharing Catholic news and opinion

Random Catholic Things

Other stuff that Catholics are doing:

  • Catholic Answers – Catholic apologetics with an extensive collection of Catholic writings, and Q&A Catholic radio program (on EWTN) with an archive of over 11 years!
  • Universalis – The Liturgy of the Hours online (sadly, this is an unofficial English translation – the official translation online requires a subscription due to copyright)
  • Vocation Boom – Online guide to discerning a vocation to the priesthood

My Projects

Things I’m doing:

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

By | | , ,
Comments Off on “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
With the recent announcement of 24 new cardinals at an upcoming consistory, one name in particular is standing out as being particularly “divisive”: Archbishop Raymond Burke, prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Archbishop Burke is known for being particularly outspoken in defense of Church teaching, and has caused major waves throughout the United States, especially in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, for his willingness to challenge those who would dissent from the traditional teachings of the Church.
Interesting, then, that the Gospel reading for today’s Mass would include Our Lord saying, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” The Church’s teachings are divisive, because the Truth is divisive. It divides those who would follow Christ from those who would follow the ways of the world. The Church’s teachings are Truth, not just “a truth” or “my truth”, but the Truth revealed by Christ, through whom the world was created. By following the Church’s teachings, we are following Christ Himself. If we dissent from Church teachings, we are dissenting from Christ Himself, even if we claim to be following His teachings. Speaking for myself, I would rather follow Christ, even if I commit the worldly sin of being “divisive”.

Hitting for the Sacramental Cycle

By | | , ,
5 Comments

With my new assignment, I’ve been joking that I’ve “hit for the cycle” in my first month. For those unfamiliar with baseball, a batter who hits for the cycle gets a single, double, triple, and home run in a single game. Since starting here in Malta on July 1st, I’ve baptized an infant, had a wedding, performed Anointing of the Sick, and had a funeral. This means in my first month here, I’ve performed the rites that nearly all Catholics receive throughout their lives.

Sadly, for many Catholics, these are the only rites they receive, not making regular attendance at Mass or reception of Confession a part of their lives. While they may be Catholics by baptism and Confirmation, they do not practice their faith. When challenged on their lack of practice, they might say something like, “I don’t need to go to church to find God,” or, “I’m a good person. I’m fine with God.” For those who seek to follow Our Lord and realize that being a “good person” is not enough, these phrases sound like trite excuses justifying laziness and pridefulness, with good reason. Sadly, this isn’t an isolated problem, but infests the Church throughout the United States and the rest of the so-called developed nations.

The challenge for us as Christians is to open these lukewarm souls to the fire of the Holy Spirit without coming across as condemning and turning them even farther from God. As Christians, we must pray for those souls and seek to cooperate with Our Lord in calling them back to His Church. We also must seek to always invite these lost souls into a deeper relationship with Christ and His Church. We do this first and foremost through our example of life, but we also must be willing to reach out and invite them to join us. Of course, approaching someone and extending the invitation is not a comfortable action, but Jesus didn’t promise us comfort in this life. Are you willing to get uncomfortable and invite someone to step beyond merely “hitting for the cycle”?

Playing with Twitvid

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Playing with Twitvid

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been playing with Twitvid on my BlackBerry. It’s a very impressive package: make a video, write a short tweet to describe it, and it’ll post it to Twitter. Right now I’m just playing, but I can see some great possibilities for spreading the Gospel through short, simple videos. The Pope did ask us to use the Internet for that purpose, after all.

Stating the Truth with Charity

By | | ,
Comments Off on Stating the Truth with Charity

As Catholics, we have received the promise by Our Lord Jesus Christ that the Church contains the fullness of His truth, revealed to us through the Scriptures, Tradition, and the Magisterial teachings of the bishops in union with the Pope. As a priest, this is an area of great comfort to me, as I know that when I teach what the Church proclaims, I am teaching the Gospel that Christ gave to us.

There is a danger in this comforting promise of revealed truth, a danger that the anonymous nature of the Internet makes it more easy to fall into. This danger is being so sure of the truth that one loses all charity.

I was reminded of this last night as part of a discussion on Fr. John Zuhlsdorf’s Z-Chat. The discussion was on modesty in dress, especially when attending Mass. We were trying to figure out a charitable way to encourage modesty, and were finding several good ways (parish provides blankets or robes, priest or ushers politely explain the necessity of modesty, etc.) when one participant kept “stirring the pot”. She kept repeating that “Padre Pio would immediately have those dressed immodestly escorted out of the church,” and was unwilling to consider any other option. Several of the moderators privately warned her of her behavior, which as being disruptive and arrogant. Finally, we had no choice but to remove her from the discussion, as she had left any sense of civility behind.

Now, was there anything wrong with what she said? No, she was right on. In the case of a woman who refuses to cover up after being warned about immodest dress, the appropriate action would be to ask her to leave. It might sound rude or prudish, but gross immodesty by women has a grave effect on men, and would represent a near occasion of sin for most men. In charity to the members of the congregation, it would be best for someone who is dressed immodestly to come back when they are dressed appropriately if they refuse to cover up when asked.

The problem the moderators had with this chat participant was the tone presented by her comments. Throughout the discussion, she became arrogant and belligerent. When asked to tone down her attitude, she would immediately fire back, “Show me what I said wrong?” She refused to admit that she had done anything wrong, but placed the blame at others.

I tell this story because it shows how not to state the truth. She was completely, 100% correct about the teachings of the Church, but there was no charity in her statements. Her viewpoint was that she was right, everyone else who disagreed was wrong, and since they’re wrong, she had to force them to agree with her. This attitude will not spread the Gospel message of Christ, it will chase people away from it.

So, how do we spread the Gospel with charity? Is it possible to tell the truth in a way that won’t turn someone away without watering it down? The answer to the second question is an unqualified ‘yes’. Yes, it is very much possible to spread the truth without unnecessarily making someone angry or upset. The first step is coming to realization that we might have the truth presented by Christ, but we are imperfect beings that will get things wrong. We might not understand as well as we think. We might misrepresent the teachings through bad choices of words. We might allow our personal biases or failings to inadvertently color the teachings of the Church. However it happens, we cannot think for one second that we have any sense of infallibility.

Once we realize our own fallibility, we can be more open to understanding where the other person is coming from. They may be open to what we have to say, if we present it gently and with respect. If we cram it down their throats, they’ll respond in kind. In physics, there is a principle: every action has an equal, but opposite, reaction. The same applies in conversations with others. If you’re rude and arrogant, you’ll get the same reaction. If you’re kind and respectful, while not watering down the truth, you may find them more open to the discussion and learning from the truth. It’s not a hard and fast rule as emotions frequently get involved, but “sugar catches more flies than vinegar”. You get better results from presenting the truth with respect.

Going along with the fallibility of us mere mortals, it helps to have a healthy level of humility. Be ready to apologize for anything but the truth. If your tone makes them upset, take a deep breath and honestly apologize. If you use a bad choice of words or example, apologize for that. Don’t apologize for the teachings of the Church, but be willing to apologize for anything you say or do that makes it more difficult for the truth to come through.

Throughout our conversations, we need to remember that not everyone is open to the Gospel at the moment you may be talking with them. You may seem to get nowhere and walk away discouraged, but if you keep a level head and treat the other person with respect, it will make a difference. Conversion story after conversion story of those who came home to the Catholic Church emphasize that there were frequently Catholics who spoke the truth with respect and love. The convert didn’t agree at first, maybe even argued strongly against the Church, but over time the truth presented with love won them over.

We also need to live the Gospel if we’re going to bring it to others. If we talk about how Jesus loves us and wants us to love our neighbors, but don’t show that same love others in our daily lives, we will be rightfully written off as hypocrites. To love our neighbor means to desire the best for them, and we need to do this even to the point of total self-giving. Our example says far more than our words.

We live in a culture that is truly hungering for the truth, but needs to be led to it. Just as someone who is starving for food will choke if you try to shove a steak his throat, those to whom we proclaim the truth will choke on it if we present it with arrogance and self-righteousness.