Day 3, Chapter 3: The Foundations and Dynamics of Prayer

“Prayer is the food for our life with God; without it we suffer from malnourishment.” (Page 44)

I can still clearly remember the day I was confirmed in the Catholic Church. As each student approached the Bishop we were asked a question or two about our faith. I was nervous as my sponsor and I stood in front of the Bishop my heart beating hard and my mind racing, praying for an easy question. My question: “What is your favorite prayer and who taught it to you,” caught me off guard but I quickly answered The Memorare and my parent? As I walked back to my pew I kept thinking to myself how did I get such an easy question….little did I understand then the importance of a solid prayer foundation in my life. Prayers are often one of the first things we teach children. My nephew can quickly recite his dinner prayer and my sister can probably say the Guardian Angel prayer in one breath; we always prayed together as a family, from an early age it was a priority. Yet the older I get the more difficult I find it is to structure significant prayer time in my life. It’s not that I’m too busy or that I have forgotten to pray but perhaps because our foundation of prayer is only taught to a certain level. What once worked in my family home, suddenly doesn’t fit in my personal life. Feeling less than satisfied with how much time I was actually praying, I recall sitting in a graduate Theology class and reading an article much similar to this and things finally made sense. Our individual prayer lives are our unique opportunity to carve out a specific relationship with Christ. In this chapter Robin Ryan, OP, reminds us that that works for me may not work for others but it is mine. I needed to create a sacred space that enabled me to dive into deep conversation with Christ, to be honest, to listen to my heart and make prayer a priority in my daily life; this is always evolving and will continue to as I grow and change as an adult.    

Do you have a strong prayer foundation?

What is your favorite prayer or method of prayer?

Day 2, Chapter 2: The Challenge of Christian Discipleship in North American Culture

 “To believe in Jesus and to take up a life of discipleship is a challenge at every time.” (page. 41)

As I read this chapter I was most struck by the section, Challenges to Discipleship Today (pages 37-42). We live in a world that is plagued with uncertainty. Poverty is on the rise, terrorism is now feared, job security is a major concern, and we are constantly on the search for the truth…. The list goes on and on, yet faith is one aspect that can keep us grounded, secure, at peace, and on the right path, but it too is not always easy.  Day after day we must commit ourselves to actively engage in our faith, to make it a priority, to utilize it and to promote it in every aspect of our lives. Lately I have noticed that the more I challenge myself to make the commitment the more I learn about myself, life in general, and the abundance of blessings that occur daily. Changing a morning routine to begin with prayer, including time for daily reflection, choosing to attend daily mass, joining a prayer group; any activity that challenges you to place extra emphasis on your faith will help you to grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus, and make discipleship easier to achieve. 

Can you recall a time when you challenged yourself to make a commitment that changed your outlook on life?

Do you have a specific faith activity (journaling, prayer group, attending daily mass...) that helps deepen your relationship with Christ?

Day 1, Introduction and Chapter 1: Answering the Call: Biblical Perspectives

Welcome to the third and final Summer Book Discussion of 2015. From the moment I began reading the book Catholics on Call, I felt challenged by the essays and found them easy to adapt to my life as a young adult. There was finally a book of ministry topics that was geared to my age group! I hope you enjoy the book and the daily reflections.

A New Generation of Leaders:

 "In 2007...One-third of the college students ad nearly half of the diocesan sample said that they had seriously considered lay ecclesial ministry as a future vocation. more than 80 percent of these young adults felt that lay ministry is a call from God....  about 70 percent of the men and one-third of the women stated that they had been encouraged by someone to consider ministry as a priest, brother, or sister."(page 5)

If you are reading this book then you are probably aware of the lack of young adults involved in ministry today and its no surprise that this lack of involvement was listed as a serious problem for the church. Young adults today are much different than they were 10 years ago. Today you will find that young adults are much more accepting of diversity, tech savvy, stressed, and eager to volunteer or find opportunities to experience the "real" world. The church is catching on and over the past few years major emphasis has been placed on teaching, prayer, and inclusion of young adults in parish life and church ministry. Role models such as John Paul II and Pope Francis have encouraged this trend as well as the use of social media, implementing programs for young adults that encourage them to become active participants in their faith, and parishioners who were open to engaging in conversations also helps. A future in lay ecclesial ministry is no long a far fetched idea. Jobs in parish ministry, campus ministry, spiritual direction, etc. are on the rise.



Have you considered a career in ministry?

Is there a priest, religious, teacher, or relative who have encouraged you to become actively engaged in parish life? 

One area that I find always draws me closer to my Call is scripture. The stories of Call in the bible remind me that I am never alone in ministry. Do you have scripture passage that speaks to your vocation or call story?

"We are a pilgrim people, together searching to find our answer to God's call." (page 23)

Book Club Discussion Starts Tomorrow!

Our Summer Book Club starts up again tomorrow with Catholics on Call: Discerning a Life of Service in the Church edited by Robin Ryan. It is our third and final book for this year. We hope that you will join us in reading and discussing this great read! Check back here each day next week for a quote, reflection, and discussion prompts - we can't wait to see what your perspective is on this book.

Sisters show up in the most interesting places!

Did you know that a sister was recognized by President Obama at the announcement of his clean power plan? LCWR executive director Sister Joan Marie Steadman, CSC was present for the occasion because of the help she provided in getting sisters across the country to push for solutions to climate change. You can read more about the event and Sister Joan Marie's involvement here on the LCWR page. Neat!

Day 4: Style

"People continue to ask me if I knew The Alchemist would be such a huge success. 

The answer is no. How could I? When I sat down to write The Alchemist, 

all I knew was that I wanted to write about my soul."

- Paulo Coelho, Foreward to the 25th Anniversary Edition

Some have compared The Alchemist to the classic fairytales, others to biblical parables, and still others to the work of writers like Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Khalil Gibran. This may be due to the fact that what Coelho has created in this book is a story that seems to connect with people across time, culture, and belief system. The Alchemist has been praised by everyone from high school students who normally don't like to read, to the editors of the world's major newspapers, and has been translated into more languages than any other book by a living author. However you look at it, something in this story seems to connect with people. Is it connecting with you?

Discuss Coelho's writing style. What works, in terms of drawing you into the story? Does it remind you of another author? If so, who, and in what way?

Is there a particular type of book or other written work that usually speaks to you? How have the important things in your reading life shaped your worldview? What works do you return to when you need inspiration, consolation, or motivation?

The Benifits of Volunteer Opportunities

The National Religious Vocation Conference shared an article yesterday about the positive benefits of service opportunities in a young adult’s life. One benefit in particular being the gift of discernment. As a young adult myself and a member of the JP2 generation, a generation who seeks out service opportunities, I can fully support the positive benefits of any service opportunity. I myself spent a week in rural Guatemala where I was able to see first-hand where God was calling me. The individuals I met in Guatemala showed me kindness, simplicity, love and faith in ways I had never before experienced. I remember lying awake at night, my mind racing with questions but my heart content because I knew my next step in life was to choose a career in ministry. I never looked back and my heart has been content since then.

Consider reading the article: http://globalsistersreport.org/column/horizons/volunteering-led-vows-27856. 

Have you considered volunteering? Have you been part of a volunteer opportunity that changed how you approached life?