Synthesis of the New Evangelization
The Church "Is Called to Something New"

The New Evangelization is symbolized in the Samaritan woman at the well (cf. John 4:5-42).

At some point in our life we all find ourselves like the woman of Samaria beside a well with an empty bucket, with the hope of finding the fulfillment of the heart's most profound desire, that which alone could give full meaning to existence.  Today, many wells offer themselves to quench humanity's thirst, but we must discern in order to avoid polluted waters.  This poison water can seriously harm our souls.

Like Jesus at the well of Sychar, the Church also feels obliged to sit beside today's men and women. She wants to render the Lord present in their lives so that they could encounter him because he alone is the water that gives true and eternal life. Only Jesus can read the depths of our heart and reveal the truth about ourselves: “He told me everything I have done”, the woman confesses to her fellow citizens. This word of proclamation is united to the question that opens up to faith: “Could he possibly be the Messiah?” It shows that whoever receives new life from encountering Jesus cannot but proclaim truth and hope to others. The sinner who was converted becomes a messenger of salvation and leads the whole city to Jesus. The people pass from welcoming her testimony to personally experiencing the encounter: “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world”.

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• Some Ideas For Keeping Advent and Christmas Holy
• 5 Reasons to Attend Daily Mass
• Plenary Indulgence for the Year of Faith
• Tips for Making a Good Confession
• 99 + Effective Ways to Evangelize as a Catholic
• Ways to Keep the Lord’s Day Holy
  
  

• “Christmas” comes from the term “Christ-Mass”. Make Christ the center of your Christmas.
• Commit to special prayers and religious activities for Advent. Maybe daily Mass, periodic adoration, the Rosary, reading portions of the Gospels each day.
• Put up a tree, crèche, and decorations.  Consider a Christmas Crib.  Set your tree up later in the Advent Season and keep it through the 12 days of Christmas.  Traditionally, the Christmas tree was set up on Christmas Eve.
• Pray a blessing over your Christmas tree, your family, and your home. Maybe modify the following blessing: “Holy Lord, we come with joy to celebrate the birth of your Son, who rescued us from the darkness of sin by making the cross a tree of life and light. May this tree, arrayed in splendor, remind us of the life-giving cross of Christ that we may always rejoice in the new life that shines in our hearts.  In a special way, we ask you to bless this family and this home throughout the year. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”  Then, sprinkle Holy Water.
• Visit others during the Advent and Christmas seasons….relatives , friends, seniors, and the sick.  Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends.
• Remember the Feast of St. Nicholas, December 6^th.  Maybe small gifts for the little children.
• Greet others with “Merry Christmas!” Unfortunately,  Season’s greeting and Happy Holidays, as nice as they are, have become an agenda for some.
• Holly, Christmas Rose, and Poinsettias are a nice tradition.
• If you send Christmas cards, make it a joy, not a burden. Pray for each person or family to whom you send a card. Christmas cards are appropriate through Epiphany.  Don’t be afraid to send them after Christmas explaining why, in the Catholic tradition, we do so.
• Turn on the holiday tunes. Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit faster than music.
• Slow down, cut out the busyness.
• Reduce the number and cost of the gifts you buy.
• Consider having a Mass said for someone as a gift.  Then send a Mass card to inform them of that blessing.
• Make some hot chocolate or eggnog.
• Watch some Christmas movies. They kindle old memories.
• Read some Christmas classics with the kids and grandkids.
• Drive around town and look at the Christmas lights
• Share time with loved ones
• Go see A Christmas Carol as a play.
• Do works of service for others
• Donate to a food pro-life organization or food kitchen.
• Put a K of C “Keep Christ in Christmas” magnet on your car or sticker on your door.
• Go to Midnight Mass
• Christmas dinner should be a feast, to the extent that you can.  Invite others.
• Remember Christmas starts on Christmas Day, celebrate the 11 remaining days. Christmas closes on Epiphany.

5 Reasons Why We Should Try to Go To Daily Mass

I’ve been going to daily Mass for the greater part of twenty years.  In the days and weeks after September 11, my soul was touched by the number of people who also began attending.  I thought I understood God’s purpose in allowing that evil day to happen.  It seemed the churches were half-full, at daily Masses. I wondered why they we not completely full.   Then, as things seem to brighten and become more stable, the churches gradually emptied again.  I guess we really didn’t understand… God’s love and protection are the only real stability we will ever know in life.

So, below are five reasons I go to daily Mass.  I believe they are five of the same reasons you, also, might consider.

1. Receiving Christ in the Blessed Eucharist gives us the strength to fight selfish pride and sin.

Pride and ego are two of the many demons most of us must battle constantly.  We desire pleasure, things, convenience, notice, etc.  It’s a constant struggle to weaken these impulses… especially when they impact our other priorities and relationships.  We cannot win the struggle alone.  We were not created perfect. We were born frail and defective so that we might acknowledge that any good which happens in us or through us is from God.

It takes supernatural strength to combat ego; and we can get that strength from our Lord present in the Eucharist. The sanctifying grace that pours through us when we receive the consecrated host allows us to stop before uttering a word of anger, or engaging in a selfish sin.  Simply put, the Eucharist strengthens us for the daily journey.

2. Praising God first thing in the morning is the most important thing on our daily calendar.

“First things first”, as they say. And since we’ve been blessed to be a member of this one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, we should understand that it’s a privilege and a gift that we can make God the first and most important person in our day by worshipping Him in His temple.  Plus, God asks for the first fruits of our harvest, the first tenth of all our blessings. Going to Mass is offering the first part of our day to the Lord who is the source of all our blessings. It’s the best form of Catholic stewardship.

3. The Mass is my ongoing spiritual formation.

One beautiful thing about the Mass is that it is so drenched in scripture.  Attending Mass daily allows us to soak in God’s Word. Reading and reflecting on the daily scriptures the evening before makes the Mass seem even richer and more fulfilling.  The Mass helps us get a full Catholic education in Christ -- stewardship, the sacraments, the saints, and evangelization -- 260 days a year.  It helps us grown in the Lord a day at a time.

4. The Mass heals.

Every Mass is a healing experience. It heals wounds caused by our sinful nature, it heals our relationship with God and with one another, bringing us closer to our Lord, giving us opportunities to draw near and receive Him not only in the Word, but also in the Blessed Sacrament.

5. You meet your Creator, your friend, your love.

It is good to be a friend and lover of God.  On the day we see Him face-to-face, we will realize that which we have missed throughout our lives.   As Saint Augustine says: “my heart is restless until it rests in You.”  Find your shelter in the wings of the Lord.  Find it, every morning, in His Holy temple. During the day, find it in silent prayer wherever we are.

We will come to yearn for the Lord knowing that our day is incomplete without prayer and worship.  We will find no greater solace than in His Word, in His sacraments, and in surrendering to His love.  In accepting the challenge of meeting Jesus daily in the Eucharist, we will find more joy than ever.

"During the Year of Faith, which will last from 11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013, Plenary Indulgence for the temporal punishment of sins, imparted by the mercy of God and applicable also to the souls of deceased faithful, may be obtained by all faithful who, truly penitent, take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

"(A) Each time they attend at least three sermons during the Holy Missions, or at least three lessons on the Acts of the Council or the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in church or any other suitable location.

"(B) Each time they visit, in the course of a pilgrimage, a papal basilica, a Christian catacomb, a cathedral church or a holy site designated by the local ordinary for the Year of Faith (for example, minor basilicas and shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Apostles or patron saints), and there participate in a sacred celebration, or at least remain for a congruous period of time in prayer and pious meditation, concluding with the recitation of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary and, depending on the circumstances, to the Holy Apostles and patron saints.

"(C) Each time that, on the days designated by the local ordinary for the Year of Faith, ... in any sacred place, they participate in a solemn celebration of the Eucharist or the Liturgy of the Hours, adding thereto the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form.

"(D) On any day they chose, during the Year of Faith, if they make a pious visit to the baptistery, or other place in which they received the Sacrament of Baptism, and there renew their baptismal promises in any legitimate form.

"Diocesan or eparchal bishops, and those who enjoy the same status in law, on the most appropriate day during that period or on the occasion of the main celebrations, ... may impart the papal blessing with the Plenary Indulgence".

The document concludes by recalling how faithful who, due to illness or other legitimate cause, are unable to leave their place of adobe, may still obtain Plenary Indulgence "if, united in spirit and thought with other faithful, and especially at the times when the words of the Supreme Pontiff and diocesan bishops are transmitted by television or radio, they recite ... the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and other prayers that concord with the objectives of the Year of Faith, offering up the suffering and discomfort of their lives".

Tips For Making A Good Confession

1) …pray before going into the confessional, try to recollect and remember our sins;

2)  …examine our consciences regularly and thoroughly;

2) …wait our turn in line patiently; be praying and/or reflecting upon the sins we will confess;

3) …come at the time confessions are scheduled, not a few minutes before they are to end;

4) …speak distinctly but not so loudly that we might be overheard;

5) …state our sins clearly and briefly without rambling;

6) …confess all mortal sins in number and kind;

7) …listen carefully to the advice the priest gives;

8) …confess our own sins and not someone else’s;

9) …carefully listen to and remember the penance and be sure to understand it;

10) …use a regular formula for confession so that it is familiar and comfortable;

11) …never be afraid to say something “embarrassing”… just say it;

12) …never worry that the priest will judge us…. he is usually impressed by our courage;

13) …never fear that the priest will not keep our confession secret… he is bound by the Seal;

14) …“tendencies” or “struggles” are not sins;  but it can be good to discuss them with the priest

15) …never leave the confessional before the priest has finished giving absolution;

16) …memorize an Act of Contrition;

17) …answer the priest’s questions briefly if he asks for a clarification;

18) …ask questions if we can’t understand what he means when he tells us something;

19) …keep in mind that sometimes priests can have bad days just like we do;

20) …remember that priests must go to confession too … so they know what we are going through.

99+ Simple and Effective Ways to Evangelize as a Catholic

Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become.  Believe what
you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.

1)      Be proud (in the good sense) of being a Catholic. Live your life with holy boldness.

2)      Focus on what is truly important. Relationships are what’s important. Christian values are important.

3)      Set time apart daily for God. Don’t be afraid to tell others you do that.

4)      Smile a lot.  It makes you happy. It also makes others happy.  It’s a great witness to your Christian joy.  Smiling is a one word Christian philosophy on living.    

5)      Make Mass a habit; try to work daily Mass into your life as frequently as you can.

6)      Say “Thank you” as often as you can.  Expressing gratitude makes you more appreciative of what you have. Gratitude is a beautiful virtue.   It helps make you, and those you thank, happy!  

7)      Choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ; not simply a volunteer: pray, fast, give alms.  Do works of service.  Gently share your faith and explain how it brings you happiness.  

8)      Try always to do things in love.  Let the love you choose be “agape love”… that is, love for the sake of the other.

9)      Keep Sunday’s holy.  Try not to spend money or engage in competitive organized sports on the Sabbath.  Try not to do things that require others to work on Sunday.  

10)  Forgive others, sincerely.  

Ways to Keep the Lord’s Day Holy
by Loving God, Family, & Neighbor

These are some suggested ideas from which you can choose
Last updated 4/7/11

Before Sunday & In Preparation for Sunday

• Houseclean, straighten up, refuel the car, and prepare clothing, do laundry, shop, etc.
• Buy or cut fresh flowers on Saturday to adorn the house through the week
• Prepare Sunday meals in advance to the extent possible.
• Avoid going to bed too late Saturday evening so as to be tired on Sunday.

Things You Can Do:

• Engage in activities that contribute to greater spirituality.
• Attend Mass; especially as a family. Dress up.  Get there are few minutes early and stay a few minutes after to share personal time with God.
• Dedicate an hour on Sunday, outside of Mass, to prayer.
• Spends some time before the Blessed Sacrament.
• Pray the Rosary (as a family).
• Devote time to the Scriptures.
• Pope Benedict XVI suggests reading “Story of a Soul”, the autobiography of St. Theresa of Lisieux. He suggests we re-discover this “little-great treasure”, calling it a a luminous commentary on the Gospel fully lived”.  Maybe read a chapter each Sunday.
• Offer expressions of praise and thanksgiving to God.
• Make Sunday a special day for the family, something to which your children will look forward to. Create some Sunday traditions the kids will remember when they get older and have their own children.
• Share a special Sunday meal. Dress the table nicely. Pray before and after eating.
• Wash the dishes together.
• Have a cookout.
• Have a picnic.
• Read a wholesome book.
• Have a Cream Tea and dessert on Sunday afternoons. Invite other Catholics over and socialize a bit.
• Do things you find relaxing, for the sake of relaxing… like gardening, mowing, etc.
• Spend time with family & friends
• Get a good night’s rest and rest, physically, during the day.
• Hang around with family members sharing in conversation.
• Converse via phone with distant family members and friends
• Visit the sick and aged shut-ins.
• Take a walk in the park
• Care for the Earth…maybe pick up litter as a family or some other creative ideas.
• Write thank you notes
• Play cards or board games together, especially those that invite conversation.
• Take a leisurely Sunday drive, enjoy the landscape.
• Sing together
• Engage in crafts together.
• If you have a fireplace, build a fire and read.