Saturday July 30, 2022

For you this week:

• Reflection for Saturday: How to be God’s prophet
• Inside the Ministry: Discerning our future
• This week’s faith-builders: Do you know all the ways to receive Good News by phone text messages?
• From the Good News Media Center: How Jesus gives us blessings

This week’s Trivia Challenge: Which prophet fled to Tarshish to avoid doing God’s will? (Check your answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Saturday July 30, 2022

Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
Psalm 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
Matthew 14:1-12
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/073022.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2022-07-30-usccb-daily-mass-readings

Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar

Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people: “It was the LORD who sent me to prophesy against you. So reform your ways and your deeds! Listen to the voice of the LORD your God.” (From Saturday’s first reading)

Reflection for Saturday: How to be God’s prophet

I’m continually pondering how we (me, you, and other friends of Good News Ministries) can best make a difference for the kingdom of God in today’s dark world, which seems to be getting darker every day.

Lately, I’ve seen definite signs that the light of Christ has begun reversing evil. Praise the Lord! Many Spirit-filled Christian prophets have been prophesying this for a couple of years now, and we want it to happen quickly. However, God is not flipping a light switch. He’s setting a fire that starts as sparks here and there and then spreads and grows.

It’s growing! That’s the prophetic word that I feel in my heart, which I want to share it with you today.

Like Jeremiah and John the Baptist in this Saturday’s readings for Catholic Mass, we are all called to be prophets. It’s a character trait in all of God’s children. During our baptisms we were marked with oil as a sign of being consecrated to God the Father, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to join Jesus in his threefold mission as prophet, priest, and king.

As a prophet, you are a messenger sent by God. As a prophet, you speak on God’s behalf, encouraging others in their faith journeys. Sometimes the message is about the future.

Think about this. How well is your prophetic character trait showing? What holds you back?

Mystical experiences are not limited by God; they are limited by us and the insufficient faith formation we’ve had. The vocation of prophet is not limited to a few super-saints and mystics; you and I have the same calling as they’ve had.

Here are 7 steps to becoming the prophet you are called to be:

1. Say “yes” to this calling.

2. Acknowledge the reasons you hold back and turn them over to the Lord, including in the Sacrament of Confession.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit daily to renew you and fill you to overflowing. A personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is a must.

4. Fill yourself with good faith formation. Learn something every day. Spend less time on secular entertainment. Take advantage of the many resources you find on our Good News Ministries websites and your other favorite Catholic websites.

5. Pay attention to the Holy Spirit stirring up a message within you. When do you feel disturbed by something going on in the world or in the Church? That disturbance is the Holy Spirit giving you a message to speak.

6. Find outlets for the message. Jesus will point them out to you. Don’t force yourself upon anyone. Just look for an open door that God is providing. If you can’t see it yet, write the message in a journal for safekeeping. And hey, it’s a good idea to save it in a journal anyway. (My personal method is to put it into an email that I send to myself and save in a special folder.)

7. Spend time praising and worshiping God with words of joy, thanking him for fertilizing and growing the seeds you planted for him.

And if you haven’t read it yet, see “Be not afraid” to speak the truth @ wordbytes.org/holyspirit/be-not-afraid-to-speak-the-truth.

Inside the Ministry: Discerning our future

Many years ago, I chatted with a priest who had an online video ministry. I helped him learn how to use Skype; he taught me how to make better videos. He gave me this advice: “From now on, focus on ministering to the masses. No more one-on-one ministry. You won’t get much done if you do one-on-one.”

My ears heard the practical wisdom but my heart heard a big, “No. He’s not right. People need to be cared for as individuals.” 

God teaches me that whenever a writer or a speaker makes a difference in my life and I think, “Since they address my needs so well in generalities, they would also understand me well enough to minister to me one-on-one. All I need is an hour or so with them and I’d get the help that I’m not finding anywhere else!”

Time and again people ask me if I could give them a little spiritual direction, some one-on-one help to get them over a particular hurdle on their faith journey. My heart goes out to them. I feel called to become available, but first I have to find a way to make time for it. For sure, I need to delegate the job of webmaster. And to do that, I need to add someone to the team. Graciela already does some of my webwork; she has learned so much about running GNM that she officially became the Assistant Director a couple of years ago. This year, she added on a couple of part-timers from her family to assist her so that she could assist me better.

I’m 67 now. Things I never had to think about when I was young are now in the forefront, such as the scoliosis in my spine; I’m currently going through some out-patient surgical procedures to relieve pain from crushed discs, to be followed by months of physical therapy — all of which steals time away from GNM. Perhaps so many people will pray for me that God will miraculously heal my back, but the only fountain of youth is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit energizes me to do what God calls me to do, but it’s a partnership. I need to prioritize time to take good care of myself so that I can be available for the Lord’s work.

I believe the Lord has introduced me to the right person — an enthusiastic Catholic young man named Will — to hire as webmaster. But I can’t start him yet because our funds have reached the low point that usually happens this time of year. Meanwhile, you are key — your partnership is a very important part of God’s plan. Your prayers for me and for Good News Ministries are very valuable. Donations of even $5 a month can make a difference in forging ahead. Don’t assume that others will provide enough donations to keep Good News Ministries going, because 99% of everyone who benefits from GNM do not help financially. And right now, we need a $35,000 boost to keep Good News Ministries going for the rest of the year.

Do you think I should make myself available to those who want some one-on-one time? Do you think I should take better care of myself? Do you think I should hire a webmaster who can make these happen?

I know that right now is a tough time to ask for donations. This is when we all need to lean on God more heavily.

Show God that you trust him to take care of you when you take care of others. If you haven’t pitched in yet but can give even a little, please visit gnm.org/donate now. Thank you!

Coming soon??? Terry’s Corner

This will become top priority after (1) we reach the $35,000 (USD) fundraising goal, and (2) we’ve hired a webmaster.

Do you know all the ways to receive Good News by phone text messages?

Do you use WhatsApp? Or Telegram? We have several opportunities for daily faith growth that can be texted to your phone no matter where you live.

Please share this good news with your friends!

On WhatsApp, you can join our Daily Reflections channel @ chat.whatsapp.com/Dy2qnxgb1gUCgUbBTi8SSG.

Telegram works very much like WhatsApp but with many great advantages, such as protecting your phone number from spammers and hackers. And you can still copy our posts to share with your WhatsApp friends. Telegram even has a web version for computer users. We love it so much that this is where we offer all of the following great options. Click the links to find out more about each channel or group. Then click “join”.

(All of these are also available by email. See everything we offer! Visit GoGoodNews.net.)

DAILY GOOD NEWS REFLECTIONS
t.me/goodnewsreflections

EARLY delivery of the DAILY GOOD NEWS REFLECTIONS
t.me/goodnewsearlyreflections

DAILY PRAYERS WITH THE SAINTS
t.me/DailyPrayersWithSaints

FAITH BOOSTERS
t.me/FaithBoosters

DAILY BLESSINGS SAINT QUOTES
t.me/saintquotes

PRAYER MOMENTS
t.me/prayermoments

INTERCESSORY PRAYER GROUP
t.me/joinchat/Oi-csVE7Dklv7ggGP2XxuQ

QUESTIONS OF FAITH (Q&A group)
t.me/joinchat/BzuxrQ1o4l40ZDJh

FOOTSTEPS TO HEAVEN (podcast show)
t.me/footsteps_to_heaven

How Jesus gives us blessings

Here are stories that members of Good News Ministries want to share with you about how their lives have been blessed by Jesus Christ. As you listen to the blessings they received, think about the blessings you have received from Jesus. Please share them in the comments under the video @ gnm-media.org/jesus-gives-blessings.

Answer to this week’s Trivia Challenge:
Which prophet fled to Tarshish to avoid doing God’s will? Jonah. When God sent him to Nineveh to preach against their wickedness, he fled in the opposite direction, traveling more than 2,500 miles. It was the most remote destination available to Jonah. I guess the whale was God’s speedboat back to where he was supposed to go.

God bless you!

Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.

How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.

Let’s connect in GNM’s own SmartCatholics community, called Good News Faith Builders. I’m available to interact with you there.

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org

Find this and past issues at gnm.org/newsletter. Please share what will minister to others.