From Davidson: CCM Bulletin week of November 12

A prayer for Thanksgiving….

I should like to have a great ale-feast for the King of Kings;

I should like the heavenly host to be drinking for all eternity.

I should like to have the men of heaven in my own dwelling.

I should like to have the vessels of charity to dispense.

I should like to have the pitchers of mercy for that company.

I should like hospitality to be here for their sake;

I should like Jesus to be here always.

                ~10^th C. Irish (attributed to St. Bridget)

Congratulations to Chris Mayes who was received into the Catholic church at our Lingle mass last Sunday! For more information on Rite of Reception, see the FAQ at the end of the bulletin.

~Karen

CATHOLIC VOLUNTEER NETWORK:

This is an umbrella organization for 200+ faith-based service groups, mostly (but not all) Catholic. CVN publishes a paper directory of programs called Response (I have tons in my office if you want one) with great indices to help spark your imagination. They also have an on-line  process to help match you with an appropriate program. You can find it here: https://www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org. Their rep will be on campus on tomorrow from 11-2 with a table in the Union, and she’ll come to our Renew dinner that night (and hopefully talk about the Dominican Volunteers, the program I did after college).

FAQ: What’s the Rite of Reception…and what does Evangelization mean?

• The Rite of Reception is how people who have been baptized (and maybe also confirmed) in another Christian denomination “switch over” to the Catholic Church—more correctly known as being “received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.”
• As a candidate, you go through a preparation process to make sure you understand enough about Catholicism to be able to make a full commitment to it. Then you participate in a quite simple rite, usually at a regular Sunday mass, asserting your acceptance of Catholicism. You are confirmed by the pastor and then you receive Eucharist.
• Evangelization has its roots in the latinized Greek word meaning “good news”; in Anglo-Saxon this was rendered gode-spell (good story), hence our English word ‘gospel.’
• Many of us Catholics associate evangelizing with bible-bashing soapbox-shouting “come to Jesus” corner preachers, door-to-door missionaries, or other sorts of folks who make us squirm. This style isn’t really ours, but we do evangelize and we always have and I hope you will. How might you evangelize in an authentic ‘non-squirmy’ way? Here are some ideas.
  • Invite a friend to Renew. We don’t hard-sell the Catholic church at Renew, but many people are longing for community, and that’s what we try to embody in our weekly fellowship. Anna Van Erven, who joined the church last year, explicitly mentions her Renew experience as one of the things that helped her decide her home was in the Catholic Church.
  • Invite a ‘Catholic’ friend to mass. There are 300+ Catholic students on this campus and they’re certainly not coming to Lingle Chapel. People have many reasons for not going to mass, but sometimes they really want to go but just need a friendly (and non-judgmental!) nudge.
  • Be able to correct, in simple language, the misunderstandings your friends have about the church. Here’s an example: Friend: “Why do you worship Mary?” You: “We don’t! We reverence her. Because you know, here was this girl, just a kid really, and the angel came to her and said Surprise! You’re having a baby! And what did she do? She pondered it and she said, Well okay then. So we see her as an excellent model of being a Christian disciple—God says Surprise! And we say, Okay then. Plus, she carried God in her womb. Who else has done THAT?”
  • Liberate the oppressed, bring sight to the blind, heal the lame. In other words, be a good friend to those who are suffering, who are neglected, who are confused, who are wandering lost.
  • Live a life of integrity. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Are you a kind person? Considerate? Fair? Honest? Inclusive? Do you try to live a life worthy of the calling you received at baptism? What’s your social life like? What kind of friends do you have? Do you respect your body? Do you respect other people’s bodies? Do you take moments for prayer and reflection? Do you live a ‘eucharistic’ life, a life of gratitude? Do you try to practice justice and charity? How do you spend your money? What kind of career are you seeking?  And so forth. There’s no bigger turn-off in religion than hypocrisy.

Rejoice! Again I say, rejoice! So said St. Paul. Or as a favorite author of mine, Timothy Radcliffe, OP has written: “There can be no preaching of the good news unless it springs from joy.” Our faith is Good News, so let’s live that way.

               

___________________________

Karen Soos
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423