This webpage contains more information about the pastor's message and announcements in the bulletin, and expands on topics raised in his sermons. Thank you for going deeper into all these issues.  God bless you!

The "Kerygmatic" Movement

Consider this your invitation to get on the right side of salvation history! As the old era of Christendom comes to an end, we find ourselves on the threshold of a New Apostolic Age of the Church. Cultural Catholicism has run its course and is no longer a viable option.  Intentional Catholicism has emerged as our new spiritual path forward as Catholic Christians today.

The kerygma is Catholic Christianity at its finest. The kerygma, in the best sense of the term, is truly radical, for it gets to the very root of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The kerygma provides us with a spiritual agenda for winning the whole world over to Jesus Christ as the true God of our lives. What is better yet, we have a spiritual strategy for achieving this goal.

The kerygmatic movement in Catholic Christianity is based on a three-point plan of catechesis, evangelization, and faith into action. It leads us to discover Christ in our lives, so that we can follow Christ sincerely, and then share Christ fully. Once we really know Christ, we truly want to know all about him, and then we want to lovingly serve him with all our hearts.

Why would we want to know, love, and serve Christ? So that we can be happy with him both now and for all eternity! Kerygmatic Christianity helps us answer these foundational questions of humanity. As we seek to answer them, we discover that the answer is more than just a doctrine or a set of rules, but a living and loving person, Jesus Christ our God!

Our lives are the question to which Jesus Christ is the answer. What difference does Jesus Christ make in how I understand what life is all about? What difference does Jesus Christ make in how I live my life? What difference does Jesus Christ promise for those who believe in him? Jesus Christ gives us himself as the answer to these riddles of human existence.

Let us explore catechesis through the lens of unwavering Christo-centrism. Then, let us delve into evangelization by means of affirmative orthodoxy. Finally, let us commit ourselves to faith into action through sacramental spirituality. Do not be concerned about these technical terms. Just prepare to experience what they spiritually offer us in Jesus Christ.

Catechesis initiates us into the Kerygmatic Movement. What illumines our minds in truth, also touches our hearts in love, enabling us to commit ourselves more fully to Jesus Christ as the Lord and God of our life.

Within a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, his teachings really make sense. They show us how to obtain full human fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Within a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, his moral rules are far from being arbitrary. Instead, they are endearing pathways to lasting happiness. Within the community of fellow believers in Jesus Christ, we establish a spiritual home-base where we find encouragement and support in Christ.

The key to Catechesis is unwavering Christo-centrism. Put simply, this means keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ as the God of our lives. It means that we know we need salvation, and that we find it in Jesus Christ.

Evangelization propels us into the Kerygmatic movement. Through it, we come to a turning point in our spiritual lives. We call this paradigm shift a conversion experience. Thus, the kerygma changes our lives forever.

When we realize that the world as we know it is not how God created it to be, we begin to see that we are the problem for whom God is the solution. When we discover that Jesus Christ came on a search and rescue mission to save us from ourselves and for him, fresh hope is enkindled in our lives. When we accept the invitation to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord in the community of his Church, we embark on the way that leads back to God.

The key to Evangelization is affirmative orthodoxy. Put simply, we focus on what we are “for” instead of only on what we are “against.” In our Catholic Christian lifestyles, we reach out to others in faith, hope, and love.

Faith into Action transforms us through the Kerygmatic movement. The grace of the sacraments enables us to bear effective witness to Christ in everything that we say, and all that we do, as faithful Catholic Christians.

Through the sacrament of Penance, we commit ourselves to an ongoing conversion of our moral lives that opens us up to even greater love for all. Through the sacrament of Confirmation, we find strength to lead lives of greater charity and sacrificial service to those in need of our assistance. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist, we identify ourselves more fully with Christ, whom we recognize more readily in the poor and the needy.

The key to Faith into Action is the power of the sacraments. Put simply, the sacraments empower us with the grace we need to lead authentically Catholic Christian Lifestyles of charity, service, peace, and good will.

Catechesis, Evangelization, and Faith into Action produce a Plan of Life that confirms us in the Kerygmatic movement of the Church. Through it, we chart our course in life, and thus take our next steps in faith.

The Catechism of the Heart is our focus for Catechesis. There are certain things that we need to know by heart if we are to really take them to heart. The ChristLife Course is at the heart of our plan for Evangelization. The small groups which it forms reach out to others with the Good News. The Parish Community is the key to Faith into Action. The parish is our spiritual home-base for developing Catholic Christian Lifestyles of faith.

The key to catechesis, evangelization, and faith into action is the Kerygma. More than doctrines or rules, it is the acceptance of the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and our commitment to him in faith, that really matters.

How to join the Kerygmatic Movement

Join the Kerygmatic Movement! Why would you want to join the Kerygmatic movement in the Church? Perhaps you are a typical bored-again cultural Catholic who seeks a more born-again striking-of-the-original-match for a vital and meaningful faith. Maybe you are asking the fundamental questions of life and are ready now to explore God’s realistic answers to riddles of human existence. Perhaps you want to really live rather than just merely survive in this chaotic world. Maybe you want to rediscover a faith that you once thought you had, but then lost track of it in the course of your busy life. Whatever your reason, the Kerygmatic movement is an invitation to experience Christ anew!

First, start with the ChristLife course. Three trimesters, with eight lessons each, can change your life for the better and, more importantly, forever.
Second, continue with faith formation, like the Catechism of the Heart, to either educate or update yourselves about Catholic Christianity today.
Third, follow through with a spiritual Plan of Life and join a small group of like-minded believers who can accompany you on the next steps of faith.

For more information, just come to church. Know that you are welcome! Attend Mass and listen attentively to the homily. Get a feel for the parish community that could become your true spiritual home away from home.

Check out CatholicsComeHome.org, Catholic.com, and ChristLife.org for more information about Catholic Christianity. Be sure to check out the parish website as well to find out more about our programs and activities.

Sign up for the ChristLife course, meet with the priest, go to Confession, or whatever the Lord leads you to do next. Most of all, take your time. The Lord is patient. That is why he gave you this pamphlet to read right now!

By the way, the Kerygmatic movement is not really all that new after all. It is just another name for the New Evangelization which reaches out to all who want to explore the difference that Jesus Christ can make in their life.

Thank you for reading this document through to its conclusion, so that we can tell you a secret. We prayed over the copies of this pamphlet, trusting that God would bless you for considering the invitation contained within!

In this week's sermon, I mentioned www.CivilizeIt.org, a website sponsored by the American Bishops. It is about dealing with polarization in our society as well as in our church.  Please click here for a video of Peter Kreeft on the choices we face today.  And please click here for an article on overcoming injustice by Pastor James Ward. The article may be found on page three of the attached newsletter. Let us pray for warm hearts and cooled-off minds as we grapple with all the issues that divide us today. Let us recommit our lives to Jesus Christ who saves us from our folly, so that he can save us for glory!

CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLES

Understanding the Four Spiritual Laws
What is the basic message of Catholic Christianity and why should it matter to me?  The main thing here is to keep the main thing the main thing by focusing on God’s plan, our problem, his provision, and our pathway to Christ our God.

• God’s Plan: God has a loving plan for our happiness.  God made us to know him, to love him, and to serve him in this world, so that we could be happy with him forever in heaven.  God loves us that much!

• Our Problem: We did not accept God’s plan for us.  And thus, we sadly brought harm and evil into our world, our lives, and all our relationships.  But none of our solutions to our problem worked.

• God’s Provision: Jesus Christ came to be our Savior.  Christ saved us from the problems we caused, entered into a new relationship with us, and gave us his Church as a community of faith.

• Our Pathway: When we accept Christ as our Savior, we enter into a special relationship with him in the community of his Church and begin to live a new life as followers of Christ.

• Consider the Good: the best is never good enough
• Consider the Bad: none of our solutions work well
• Consider the Ugly: the irony is that we all die anyway

• Truth: there is a reason and a purpose to everything in life
• Goodness: there are values that truly endure forever
• Beauty: life in Christ is the only life truly worth living

• Worldly: acting as if this world was all that there is
• Spiritual: realizing that the best is still yet to come
• Religious: living out the spiritual life in this world

• Being religious without being spiritual
• is like going through the motions, but without faith.
• Being spiritual without being religious
• is like talking the talk, but without walking the walk.
• Being both spiritual and religious
• is a lifestyle that can transform our this-worldly existence.

• Prayer: celebrating the spiritual sacraments of Christ
• Learning: believing the spiritual teachings of Christ
• Service: following the spiritual example of Christ

• Mind: When you really know Christ, then you want to know all about him as well, through the Bible, the Catechism, spiritual reading, small sharing groups, and parish programs.  This is the saving dimension of doctrine.  
• Heart: When you really love Christ, then you want to draw even closer to him through the Sacraments he entrusted to his Church, and through your personal plan of daily prayer.  This is the saving dimension of devotion.  
• Self: When you really know and love Christ well, then you want to be like him in every way.  Religion is the bridge that connects what we believe and how we live each day.  This is the saving dimension of discipleship.

• Discovering: Come for the Experience of Christ!
• Following: Stay for a Journey with Christ!
• Sharing: Go Forth on a Mission for Christ!

• Liturgy: Prayer in Word and Sacrament
• Meditation: Prayer through Sacred Images
• Contemplation: Prayer beyond Words and Images

• Look Upward in Faith: Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!
• Move Forward in Hope: Trust in the promises of Jesus!
• Lead Onward in Love: Let Jesus show you the way!

Developing a Personal Plan of Life

• Receive the sacraments worthily and often. 
• Morning and evening prayer are essential. 
• Daily Mass, or at least Saturday morning are great.
• Monthly Confession is essential to spiritual growth.
• Nightly examination of conscience is

• Spend at least 1% of your day (fifteen minutes) in study.
• The Bible and the Catechism are the foundation.
• The Lives of the Saints inspire us to holiness of life.
• Catholic Websites keep us up-to-date on faith.
• Adult formation and parish programs are helpful.

• Develop the seven virtues as part of your lifestyle.
• Practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
• Volunteer for service in parish charitable endeavors.
• Make personal sacrifices to help others each day.
• Do everything for the greater honor and glory of God!

Inspirational Online Resources
Online Catechism: MyCatholic.Life
Bishop Barron: WordOnFireInstitute.org
Formed: AugustineInstitute.org
Returning: CatholicsComeHome.org
Matthew Kelly: DynamicCatholic.org
Family Values: ForYourMarriage.org
Evangelization: ChristLife.org