Unity

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

— Colossians 3:14

1) The plan from the beginning
- Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning” (Unitatis Redintegratio 4)
- Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her.
- This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: “That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us,… so that the world may know that you have sent me.” John 17:21

2) Division in the Body of Christ
- contradicts the will of Christ
- scandalizes the world
- damages the cause of preaching the Gospel 

3) A call of the Holy Spirit
- The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit (CCC 820)

Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call: (CCC 821)

• a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation
  
• conversion of heart as the faithful ‘try to live holier lives according to the Gospel’
  
• prayer in common, because ‘change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement…’
  
• fraternal knowledge of each other
  
• ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests
  
• dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities
  
• collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind

Download this PDF handout on Unity ›



FURTHER READING: Pope outlines four pillars of Christian Unity ›
PRAYER: Ask for the grace to forgive those who have spoken uncharitably towards you regarding unity. Download a PDF on Lectio Divina ›
ACTION: Examine yourself and the ways you have sinned against unity and bring it to the sacrament of confession.



The theme 'Developing an Evangelical Heart' was inspired by the Companions of the Cross course on Evangelization. To order the full course, or to order the 2011 Companions calendar 'Developing an Evangelical Heart' call our office:
1-866-885-8824 (Toll free)

Mercy

“Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”     — John 8:10-11

 
Listen to: God's Divine Mercy - Homily by Fr. Bob Bedard ›

1) What is Mercy?

- There is a word used in the Old Testament to describe God’s heart for mankind. Hesed can be translated as loving-kindness, tender-hearted compassion, affection, and there is difficulty translating it into English because it means so much.
- Hesed can be summarized by the word mercy because by mercy, we mean all of those things.
- We tend to understand justice – that a certain behaviour deserves a certain punishment. What is owed must be repaid. But mercy is another thing all-together. It doesn’t follow strict logic. It’s harder to grasp. We’ve sinned and deserved punishment. But instead of punishment, God gave us mercy.
- By definition, mercy is completely undeserved  

2) Jesus is the revelation of God’s Mercy
- According to St. Augustine, mercy means to give your heart to misery. (Etymology of the Latin word miseriscordare)
- In John 3:16, it says, “So much did the Lord love the world that He gave His only Son.”
- The Father’s gift of the Son to the world is His expression of His mercy. 

3) Why Mercy?
- Our sins pierced the Heart of Jesus, and from that open wound, caused by our sins, flows ‘Hesed’ – compassion, affection, tender-hearted concern, loving-kindness, mercy
- Why does God offer us mercy instead of the punishment we so justly deserve?
- Only one answer – love. He loves you and me – period.
- In the work of evangelization, we become instruments of mercy as we reach out, and remind people of the unending mercy of God. 

4) Divine Mercy

- The late Pope John Paul II never tired of pointing all of humanity to go without fear to the merciful heart of Jesus.
- It seems fitting that He finally passed from this life to the Lord on the vigil of the Feast of Divine Mercy 2005
- This is the reflection Pope John Paul II had prepared for the Feast:

“As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the Risen Lord offers his love that pardons, reconciles and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy!

Lord, who reveal the Father's love by your death and Resurrection, we believe in you and confidently repeat to you today:  Jesus, I trust in you, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world.”

Download this PDF handout on Mercy ›


Further Reading:
John Paul II’s Encyclical Rich in Mercy (Dives in Misericordia) ›
The Regina Caeli read the day after JPII died (Divine Mercy Sunday) ›


PRAYER: Ask for the grace to extend mercy in crucifying situations.
Downlad a PDF on How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet ›
Download a PDF on Lectio Divina ›


ACTION: Become familiar with the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and choose one to do today.
Download a PDF on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy ›


  

Charity

“…takes the form of concern, tenderness, compassion, openness, availability and interest in people’s problems.”

— John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio

The Greatest Commandment & Purpose of Creation

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matt 22:37-39)

- Love is the purpose of creation:
“We are created to love and to be loved.” (Mother Teresa)

What is authentic love?

1) Love desires the greatest good for the beloved.

- Counterfeit definitions of love: warm feelings, being nice, etc.
- We evangelize because we love people and we want what is best for them. What is their greatest good? Jesus - a relationship with Christ - His gift of salvation, Faith, Hope, and Love

2) Love is moved by the needs of others.

“When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)

- Jesus had compassion for people. They moved his heart. Ex. Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

3) Love is Sacrificial - The Love of the Gospel is a sacrificial love. Love to the Cross.

“The way we came to know love was that He laid down His life for us. So we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16)

- Paul said “I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your sakes.”  (2 Cor 12:15)

“I am prepared not only to be bound, but even to die… for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

  (Acts 21:13-14)

- Willingness to sacrifice is the true test of love

4)  Love is Zealous and compels us to act, to share what we have been given.

“…a zeal inspired by the love of Jesus for all mankind. It takes the form of concern, tenderness, compassion, openness, availability and interest in people’s problems.” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, 89)

5) Love Reveals God

- When you do something kind for one who doesn’t deserve it, you reveal God, for “God is Love.” (1 John 4:16)
- Love in such a way as to get people’s attention for God.  The greatest ad for Christianity is love/holiness.

6)  Without Love, we have nothing…

- I can have all the theology in the world, know every teaching of the Church, apologetic argument… but without love “…I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… I am nothing… I gain nothing.”  (1 Cor. 13:1-3)
- Without love...We are a ministry team that blows in, blows up and blows out, and blows away - with no lasting fruit.

With Love we have everything - It is the fulfillment of all the virtues.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  (1 Cor 13:4-8)

Download this PDF handout on Charity ›




PRAYER: Ask for the grace to love without counting the cost.
Download a PDF on Lectio Divina (a method of praying with scripture) › 
Download a Lectio Divina prayer guide › 


ACTION: Consider visiting a home for the elderly to visit with a resident who has no one to visit them. If you want to challenge yourself, make a commitment to do it on a regular basis.

Hope

“We ought not to become discouraged or cease to witness even when we are called to manifest our faith in an environment that is hostile or indifferent… For we know that we are not proclaiming a human truth, but the ‘word of God,’ which has an intrinsic and mysterious power of its own (cf. Rom 1:16)”— John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio
 
1) What is Hope?
- Hope is faith directed to the future, in response to God’s initiative
- Christian hope is certain: “in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection”. God’s promises will come true; there is no if, and, or but about it. For God is Truth itself. “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.”
- “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)


2) Hope is confidence in God
- Nothing necessary will be lacking to us if we trust in him and if we hope for all things from him. We have the promise of God himself: “Look at the birds in the sky… think of the flowers growing in the fields… will he not much more look after you? (Matt 6:26-30)
- God is with you as you face trials. You can place your trust in him.


3) Relying on Christ for Strength
- Hope is not a naïve natural optimism. In fact, one can be deeply pessimistic about things and still have strong theological hope, because theological hope is hope in God. We trust in His providence, that in some way He will bring good from all things for those who love Him.
- God always prevents evil from becoming the worst. Even the bad things He allows (because we chose them in freedom), He only allows because he will bring a greater good from them.
- Theological hope is a power that enables us to look beyond the turmoil of this shipwrecked and fallen world, into the merciful and providential heart of God. Still we must choose to act, to stand on God’s goodness, truthfulness, & promises, despite our natural confusion & pain.
- In evangelization, as we hope for ourselves and others, we tap into God’s wellspring of love and mercy
- “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Download this PDF handout on Hope ›

PRAYER: Ask for the grace to develop a firm hope in God’s providence.
Meditate on these scriptures that refer to hope ›
Download a PDF on Lectio Divina (a method of praying with scripture) ›

ACTION: Write a card or make a call to someone who seems down or despairing, and speak to them of the hope we have in Christ.


Listen to: 
Becoming a People of Hope - Homily by Fr. Bob Bedard ›   (Audio MP3)

Further Reading: 
Crisis of Faith - Christian Hope – Fr. Terry Donahue, CC ›

Humility

“O sublime humility! That the Lord of the whole universe … should humble Himself like this under the form of a little bread, for our salvation.”
— St. Francis of Assisi

1) What is Humility?

- Humility is recognizing the truth of who we are & who God is, and living out of that truth.
- In the order of love, the truth is that “I am third.” God is 1st, others are 2nd and I am 3rd

“Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3b)

- Humility is becoming transparent so that Jesus may shine in us, even in our weakness.

“He must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

2) False Humility
- Humility is not putting ourselves down or belittling ourselves.
- True humility is being little and hidden in Christ so that He may be more clearly seen.
False humility is just plain hiding!

3) Our Weakness – Christ’s Strength
- In the work of evangelization, sometimes we are overwhelmed by our weakness & incapacity.
- Christ multiplies the five humble loaves that we give Him and He feeds the multitude
(cf. Matt 14:13-21).
- We hold the “treasure” of the Gospel in the “earthen vessels” of our lives.
Christ can even use “cracked pots” like us to carry his life giving water.

“For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord… But we hold this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 Cor 4:5-7)

Download this PDF handout on Humility ›


PRAYER: "O Jesus, meek and humble of heart. Make my heart like unto thine."
Ask for the grace to become third (God first, others second, I am third)
Download a PDF on Lectio Divina (a method of praying with scripture) › 

ACTION: Do an act of service or a chore around the house that will perhaps go unnoticed by everyone but God.

Developing an Evangelical Heart | 2011

2011 Theme: Developing an Evangelical Heart
The passionate vision of evangelization revealed to Fr. Bob Bedard remains vibrant, and we invite you to join us each month in meditating on the key attitudes of a truly evangelical heart. It is our hope that together we will be inspired and encouraged to share the hope we have found in Christ to those present in our daily lives.

“Missionary drive has always been a sign of vitality… missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others!” – John Paul II

This year, we invite you to delve deeper into the heart of Jesus, and to share his heart with the people around you. 

Attitudes of an Evangelical Heart
1) Loves as Jesus Did (Charity, Servanthood, Humility, Mercy)
2) Led by the Spirit (Docility, Boldness, Unity, Hope)
3) Lives the Beatitudes (Authenticity, Joy, Peace, Purity)

Explore our theme in greater depth on our website:
Developing an Evangelical Heart