Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • August 4, 2023 3 Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) August 4, 2023 Volume 40, Issue 25 The GULF PINE CATHOLIC , published every other week, is an official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi. Editorial offices are located at 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532. Periodical postage paid at Gulfport, MS. —POSTMASTER— Send address changes to: The GULF PINE CATHOLIC 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —PUBLISHER— Most Rev. Louis F. Kihneman —EDITOR— Terry Dickson —PRODUCTION/ ADVERTISING — Shirley M c Cusker —CIRCULATION— Aimee McLendon —PHOTOGRAPHY— Juliana Skelton —OFFICEHOURS— 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday —PHONE NUMBERS— Editor: 228-702-2126 Production/Advertising: 228-702-2109 Circulation: 228-702-2127 Photography: 228-201-2132 —EMAIL— News: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Production / Advertising: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org Circulation: amclendon@biloxidiocese.org Photography: jskelton@biloxidiocese.org —OFFICEAND MAILINGADDRESS — 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —WEBSITE— www.biloxidiocese.org —SUBSCRIPTIONS — Subscription rate is $18 per year. When changing address, renewing or inquiring about a subscription, customer should include a recent address label with old address and new address. Allow three weeks for changes of address. —DEADLINES for AUGUST 18 EDITION— News copy and photos: Due AUGUST 10, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due AUGUST 10, 10 a.m. August 20 Mass & Installation of Father Satish Adhav, Pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Long Beach, 11:30 a.m. Bishop Kihneman The Year of the Eucharist in the Parish (Part 5) -- Missionary Sending BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of Biloxi My fifth and final column in the series on The Year of the Eucharist in the Parish focuses on “Missionary Sending.” The theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar says, “The beautiful stops the viewer in his tracks and then plants within him a desire to speak to others of what he has seen.” What is more beautiful than the love proven to us by the Father in sending His only beloved Son, Jesus, to save us while we were still sinners? Jesus crucified, buried, risen and ascended! Jesus who gave us His body and His blood as a per- petual sacrifice so that we too can participate in His sacrifice and in His resurrection. When we begin to feel this unending, unconditional, transformative love, it should stop us in our tracks and compel us to share the beauty we are experienc- ing! It should make it easy to, “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 com- manded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). The word “Evangelization” was not heard often by Catholics in years past. I grew up in a time when most of those in our communi- ties and places of work were predominantly Christian, especially in the South. That time of “Christendom” has elapsed. The times we live in now are of “Apostolic Mission,” meaning we are once again living in a world similar to the times of the Apostles where Christians are the minority and the secular world is hostile to our faith. Where do we begin when it comes to Evangelization? If you have been following my homilies, columns, or have read Missio Nostra you know the answer to this one! We begin by growing and strengthening our own faith so that as St. Peter tells us in his first letter to Christians on the difficulty of living the Christian life in a hostile secular world that has different values, “ Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your con- science clear…” (1 Peter 3:15-16). (1 Peter 2:11-4:11 is written for “The Christian in a Hostile World” and are good to read, pray with, and contemplate.) Be able to tell YOUR story of faith ~ to give your reason for your hope in Christ. This can sometimes seem easier for converts to the faith that have that “Eureka!” moment and are able to articulate when they realized who Jesus is and what He did for all of us that set off their journey. For many cradle Catholics, it may be the story of faith “that has always been there” nurtured by our families, that grew as we did and we claim it as our own at Confirmation, or sometimes it is later when we realize that our faith is our own journey and not just something our parents expect of us. And for many of us, our stories fall somewhere in between. Take a few moments to recall when you received the Sacraments of Initiation and call to mind and heart what your Baptism, receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit mean to you. Think about the people, spiritual retreats, life events, along the way that drew you closer to Christ or led you to encounter Christ. Think about what your faith has been to you in the joys and struggles of living and getting through the sorrows that come our way. This is a place to begin your faith story. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to share it. As we grow in faith, our faith story will grow as well. When it comes to sharing our faith in the Eucharist, that during the Mass that Jesus becomes present to us body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the appearance of bread and wine can be difficult to explain, especial- ly to those who do not yet believe. Even some of Jesus’s disciples had a hard time accepting Jesus’ teaching in the Bread of Life Discourse in John’s gospel, and they questioned who could accept it. The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). Then many of His disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that His disci- ples were murmuring about this, He said to them, “Does this shock you?” (John 6:60- 61). Some of His disciples left Him and returned to their previous way of life. Thanks be to God that the Apostles continued to have faith in Him, and this teaching became tangible at the Last Supper! As a result of this, many [of] His disci- ples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:66-69). SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 10