Gulf Pine Catholic

6 Gulf Pine Catholic • January 7, 2022 Our Mission in Focus: The Great Commission, Kerygma and Five Thresholds of Conversion BY DEACON RICHARD SMITH Director of Evangelization In the Diocese of Biloxi, we are focusing on follow- ing the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Matthew’s Gospel 28:16-20. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, the worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make dis- ciples 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 behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” A “commission” is a responsibility that has been handed over and entrusted to us. The reason we exist as a Church is to evangelize. Embracing anew the Great Commission of Jesus needs to be a priority for each and every one of us in the Diocese of Biloxi. To evangelize is to welcome people into a relationship with God that will transform them completely inside and out. A dis- ciple is someone who has had an encounter with Jesus Christ and has made a personal and conscious decision to give his or her entire life to God. Discipleship is choosing to make the eternal life of your neighbor, friend, family member, or stranger your mission. It is bringing people to God for the promise of salvation. So where do we start? We start with relationships with others to build relationships with individuals, all of us in accompaniment need to be aware of the move- ments of the heart, mind, and spirit, as well as the deep wounds that an individual may have. Enabling people to encounter God in truth, beauty, and goodness is what attracts the human heart and is where we begin to encounter God. Once a person has encountered God in this way, an invitation to conversion is possible. In the conversion process, evangelization involves the preach- ing of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The person receives the Gospel message (summed up in the four essential movements below) and hears the invitation to give his or her whole life to Christ: • God loves you and has a plan for your life. • Sin separates us from God. • Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection saved us from sin. • By turning away from sin and toward God and his Son, we can live a new life as sons and daughters of the Father This is the Kerygma, and this is the basic gospel mes- sage that we are called as disciples to speak! For Discussion: 1. As a parish, family, school, or ministry, are we forming disciples? 2. As a parish, family, school, or ministry, are we baptizing all nations? 3. As a parish, family, school, or ministry, are we teaching all He commanded? 4. Do you believe He is with us always until the end of the age? Are you sharing His message? 5. What are some things your parish, family, school, or ministry is doing or could do to respond to the Great Commission of Jesus? 6. What are some things you personally are doing or could do to respond to the great commission of Jesus to evangelize and form disciples? In every person’s faith life, we move through and between thresholds of conversion, because of this we must be aware of where others are in there journey. Initial trust: A person can trust or has a positive association with Jesus Christ, the Church, a Christian believer, or something identifiably Christian. Trust is not the same as active personal faith. Without some kind of bridge of trust in place, people will not move closer to God (preevangelization). Spiritual curiosity: A person finds himself or her- self intrigued by or desiring to know more about Jesus, his life, and his teachings or some aspect of the Christian faith. This curiosity can range from mere awareness of a new possibility to something quite intense. Nevertheless, a person at the threshold of curi- osity is not yet open to personal change. Curiosity is still essentially passive, but it is more than mere trust. Spiritual openness: A person acknowledges to himself or herself and to God that he or she is open to the possibility of personal and spiritual change. This is one of the most difficult transitions for a postmodern nonbeliever. Openness is not a commitment to change. People who are open are simply admitting they are open to the possibility of change. If someone is on the verge of openness, it can be helpful to talk about your own struggles and how you look to God to enable you to change. Ask questions that raise the issue of per- sonal change. Use their own words to point out how God is at work in their life to this point. Encourage them to ask God for a sign. Ask if you can pray for them to be open to God. Ask them to pray for openness to God. Spiritual seeking: The person moves from being essentially passive to actively seeking to know the God who is calling him or her. It is, if you will, “dating with a purpose” but not yet marriage. Seekers are asking, “Are you the one to whom I will give myself?” At this stage, the seeker is engaged in an urgent spiritual quest, seeking to know whether he or she can commit to Christ and his Church. It can be a time of letting go, asking forgiveness, and finding reconciliation and peace. Intentional discipleship: The person moves from being passive to being an active disciple of Jesus; they are coming to know Jesus personally and experiencing his love and wanting very much to serve Jesus; they are open and willing to witness to Jesus and become dis- ciplemakers. This is the decision to “drop one’s nets,” to make a conscious commitment to follow Christ in the midst of his Church as an obedient disciple and to reorder one’s life accordingly. For Discussion: 1. Why is it important to recognize the Thresholds of Conversion? 2. What process does the parish, school, or ministry provide for people to move through the thresholds? 3. Which of the five thresholds of conversion are you currently at? 4. Describe an experience that helped you to move through one or more of the five thresholds of conver- sion. 5. Are you walking with anyone through the Thresholds of Conversion and Faith? (Adapted from Missio Nostra -- Our Mission: Understanding the Great Commission of Jesus Christ). Deacon Smith To include your parish and school events and activity information in “Diocesan Briefs”, email that information to: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org . Visit Missio Nostra