2.3 Missionary Disciples:  Encounter (1 of 4 Skills - To Encounter, To Accompaniment, To do all as a part of the evangelizing Community and To Send others forth)

2.3.1  A Deeper Encounter with Christ:  Formation for Discipleship 

9-Minute Video on Missionary Disciple Skill:  To Accompany

Transcript - Encounter: Bishop Frank Caggiano

My friends, my name is Bishop Frank Caggiano, and I am the Bishop of Bridgeport in Connecticut. And it is my honor to join you and break open this concept of evangelization that is found in our document "Living as Missionary Disciples".

{For us, to first break open the meaning of one’s personal encounter with God in the person of Jesus.  And then we can move beyond that to encountering the other person in Jesus. Or perhaps the reverse is true:  Somehow I come to see the person of Jesus in another and through that, I come to see Jesus on my own.}

“Most especially, it's first and most important moment, which is the moment of encounter. If we were to look at the dictionary, the definition of encounter is to meet another person. And in this context, when we speak of evangelization, that is, bringing the good news of Jesus, we're talking about meeting in a living, vibrant, personal, and loving way the person of Jesus Christ. All evangelization begins at that most basic moment.” (ethereal music)

{Name some different ways in which you and another person can be together (a) in the same room (b) without being in the same room.  Explain what you get or miss by each way of being present.  What does Bishop Caggiano mean when he says that “All evangelization begins at that most basic moment.”}

You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have

“My grandmother used to say, "You cannot give what you do not have." In this case, we cannot bring this Lord to others, excite them joyfully if we ourselves do not know him and have fallen in love with him.”

{What do you know about falling in love. (We’ve talked about this before.)  How do you fall in love with God?  {In a way one falls in love with another person.} Where did we get that capacity? Why do you think we were given it?  Who nurtured it? How does one fall in love with God?  Do any of you think that you have begin this process?  Can you remember when it started?  Any moments along the way that you would like to share?}

“Now, in our ordinary lives, we use the word encounter in many different ways, because I can encounter lots of people on the subway or on the street, and most of that is passing glances, that is not what we are talking about. But we are talking about a far more intimate, and profound, and deeply personal touching of mind and heart, where Jesus is no longer an historic figure, where we no longer simply speak about him, but we speak in knowing him. Where he has captivated our minds and our hearts and claimed our hands and our service so we can become his voice, his feet, his heart in the world.”

{What words in the Bishop’s last sentence “grab” you?  Why?  Do these things happen to you often during the day?  If so, when?  What makes that happen? What keeps it from happening?  What can you do to have more happening moments and fewer hindering moments? Do you really want to do this? Why?}

Consider for a moment, in your own life, as I can in mine, when we actually have fallen in love with someone else. Recall what that was like, how that felt. Recall what happened within us, how we deeply desire to know everything about this person, because they've captivated us. Where we tried as best we could to spend time with them because they filled us, they filled the need we could not even perhaps express in words and we wanted to spend time with them. So to by analogy, when we speak of encountering Christ, we're seeking the same thing for ourselves and those around us in the power of the Holy Spirit to allow the circumstances around us to be the conduit where the Spirit can help us to connect to this great Lord, Savior, Christ, our King, who could then, in this moment of falling in love with him, we will have a fire in our belly like the fire of the disciples on the road to Emmaus when they recognized him. It's this deep desire to know him, and to know the faith and the truths of the faith because we've encountered the truth, who is Jesus Christ. And as we would literally do anything for a person we deeply loved, so to the Lord we would do or go anywhere as his missionaries, to make his presence known so the person we love of this can fall in love with. That is the foundation of what evangelization is all about. It's this mystery of personal encounter, and this mystery of allowing others to encounter the same Lord.

{What “analogy” is Bishop Caggiano speaking of?  In the light of this paragraph, what is evangelization?  {Note that no verbal communication is mentioned here}}

So how do we foster this encounter? Well, my friends, there are many different ways. Christ is already present in our midst, is he not? In the great Sacrament of the Eucharist where we come together at Sunday Mass, where we enter into the mystery of his death and resurrection, he's fully, truly present there. Body and blood, soul and divinity, when we sit in adoration before the Eucharist, it is the Lord himself, who is here asking us to encounter him, seeking to touch our eyes, our minds, our hearts. (ethereal music)

{Do you believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist?  Why? How? Explain what you believe and why.  How would you explain this to a non-believer? What helps you to recognize and enter into the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist?  What keeps that from happening?  Do you want to do something to make the encounter more real and genuine?  What might help?}

Each time we read the Scripture in prayer, he comes to us in encounter. Each time we live a life of charity, and mercy, and forgiveness with our neighbors and friends and even those we do not like, Christ is present.

{Once again ask yourselves the above set of questions (1) about reading Scripture “in prayer” and (2) “living a life of Charity, mercy and forgiveness with our neighbors and friends and even those we do not like.}

{ from Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel):

1. 180. Reading the Scriptures also makes it clear that the Gospel is not merely about our personal relationship with God. Nor should our loving response to God be seen simply as an accumulation of small personal gestures to individuals in need, a kind of “charity à la carte”, or a series of acts aimed solely at easing our conscience. The Gospel is about the kingdom of God (cf. Lk 4:43); it is about loving God who reigns in our world. To the extent that he reigns within us, the life of society will be a setting for universal fraternity, justice, peace and dignity. Both Christian preaching and life, then, are meant to have an impact on society. We are seeking God’s kingdom: “Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33). Jesus’ mission is to inaugurate the kingdom of his Father; he commands his disciples to proclaim the good news that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 10:7).

And it seems to me that for us it is in our two families where we meet the Lord perhaps in the most intimate and powerful ways, and what are these two families? First and foremost, what I call our natural families. We call parents the first and best teachers of the faith, not because the expectation is that they will teach the theological language, or the scriptural exegesis, or all the finer details of Catholic faith. They are the first and best teachers, because they can help their children to truly understand that they are lovable and they are loved by them. That my friends, becomes the conduit to encounter Jesus Christ. It is the most intimate and powerful way to do that. And therefore, our parents are at the frontline of evangelization, for they allow that encounter to occur.

{What does the Bishop say is the most important evangelization task for parents?  Did you expect that? Do you agree with his assessment?  Do you think today’s parents see the connection of this task of parenting as acts of evangelizing? Can and should we remind them of this?  How can we do that? Why do you think this?  Any suggestions?}

But we also have a second family, do we not? And we call that our parish community. They are our family in grace because we are all adopted by the same heavenly Father in the power of the Holy Spirit through Baptism and Confirmation, are we not all one family? And so when the parish comes together, whether it's at sacrament, or in prayer, or in social events, or in works of justice or charity, whatever it may be, Christ is there present. And they become powerful ways to help foster this moment of encounter with those around us, those we invite, even those who have goodwill, who are seeking, looking for more in life. Family is the bedrock of society, family is the bedrock of the Church and whether we speak of the natural family, or whether we speak of our family in grace, our parishes, and even school communities, whether we speak of one of the other, they are the principal places where encounter with Jesus Christ can occur. And therefore, they are the places where in your work and mine to seek this New Evangelization of the world where we need to spend our time in prayer and ask for the grace that they both be renewed in Christ power.

{Why does Bishop Caggiano say that spending time on community is important? }

So you see my friends, many times evangelization may seem to be a very complicated task. And perhaps in the other moments of evangelization, which you will hear in other videos, there is certainly things to learn, and there are things to do, and techniques and training for us, all of us. But when we speak of encounter, we are speaking of something quite subtle, almost sublime, very basic. It is to meet the Lord. And he is the one who extends his hand first to us. And in these variety of ways, which we have seen together, he's always there present, seeking, finding, calling, inviting. We begin evangelization by recognizing that hand, that loving presence and accepting it. Thank you and God bless you.

How can encounter be all of these:  “subtle, almost sublime and very basic”?

2.3  LIVING AS MISSIONARY DISCIPLES: Encounter

Source:  USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis

All Christians are invited to a “renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ.” Evangelii Gadium, No. 3

The Good News of Encounter

Christ calls all people to himself in his Body, the Church, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, so that we can enter into a personal relationship with God the Father. “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples.” 74 Reflective reading, lectio divina, and the study of Scripture will aid in deepening the encounter with Christ. The Sunday homily breaks open the Word of God by stirring the hearts of people, deepening our knowledge of the faith, renewing our participation in the Church and her sacraments, and strengthening us for the daily challenges of life. By participating in Mass, learning common prayers, and practicing personal and public devotions, Christians appropriate the teachings of the faith into their own lives and are sent forth to witness Christ. Discipleship involves helping people enter into a personal encounter with Christ through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, works of mercy, and faith formation.

Questions for Reflection:

Do I have a relationship with Jesus Christ? In what ways do I cultivate this friendship with Jesus and his Church? How do I help others grow in their relationship with Christ and the Church? What opportunities does the parish provide to cultivate ongoing encounters with Jesus? In what ways does the parish accompany our family, friends, and community through the journey of conversion? Are there opportunities that are not in place in our parish ministries that we may need to provide?

{END OF SESSION THREE}