For you this week:
- Reflection for Saturday: How to bring loved ones to Christ with God’s help
- Inside the Ministry: We fortify parents with prayers you can use
- This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: Commissioned by the Holy Spirit to change the world
- Footsteps to Heaven podcast: Help your lost loved ones with supernatural evangelization
This week’s Trivia Challenge: Why did St. Paul choose Barnabas as his partner in his first missionary journey? (Check your answer at the end of this newsletter.)
Saturday May 6, 2023
Acts 13:44-52
Psalm 98:1-4
John 14:7-14
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050623.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-may-6-2023
Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar
“Amen, amen, I say to you, [insert your name here]: Because you believe in Me, you will do the works that I do, and you will even do greater ones than these” (adapted from Saturday’s Gospel reading).
Reflection for Saturday:
How to bring loved ones to Christ with God’s help
It’s heart-breaking to love someone who is stubbornly rejecting the truth about Jesus. It’s hard to watch them suffer the worldly effects of not turning to him to let him be their Savior. You know how important faith in Christ is for their life now, and — the biggest heart-wrencher — you fear that they won’t spend eternity with you in Heaven.
You’re not alone if feeling this kind of heart-ache. Many of the prayer requests that come into Good News Ministries are for the conversions of loved ones.
We are called and commissioned by Christ to evangelize. But how can we do this successfully for the ones we care about most?
Jesus would not ask us to partner with him in the mission of salvation if he did not also provide the means for accomplishing it. And remember, he cares more about the salvation of your loved ones than you do!
For most non-believers, turning to Christ does not happen until they become grievously disappointed with what the world has to offer. We have to wait for their wrong beliefs to fail them — and most likely it has to fail them again and again before they become interested in finding out what a difference faith in Christ can make.
But this doesn’t work for everybody. There are plenty of people who remain fully entrapped in their wrong beliefs their whole life long.
Think about what worked for you: What brought you to a fully immersed life in Christ? Or what strengthened your faith when you relied more on worldly beliefs than Christian truths? Or what brought you back to church after being away for a while?
Next, think about your loved ones who need conversion. Is there anything in your story that would resonate with them? That’s a powerful opportunity!
For me, my conversion away for the occult and from Protestantism happened when a friend explained how God miraculously changes bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus during the Catholic Mass. Next, he introduced me to the Holy Spirit. By a supernatural grace, I believed in the miracle of the Mass and I wanted more.
Notice the role God played in my conversion story. Think about the role God played in your own story of conversion or faith growth. None of us can convince someone to change their minds and become a faith-filled believer — not by our own efforts. God needs to intervene with supernatural help.
This is why Jesus said, in this Saturday’s Gospel reading, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” What were the works of Jesus? Preaching the truth with a compassionate heart was a natural work of faith. He also did supernatural works: healing diseases, raising people from the dead, casting out demons, multiplying the food. Everything he did was for the sake of the salvation of souls.
The Holy Spirit empowers every follower of Christ to do the same. The Book of the Acts is filled with evidence of this. Signs and wonders verify the truths that are preached. They are irresistible proof.
Tragically, much of the Church has lost that original fervor. This explains why there is so much disbelief around us today. Most of us have not been taught how to fulfill Christ’s command to bring others to conversion. Sure, we know we’re supposed to share our faith — we’re supposed to talk about it and we’re supposed to live the faith in such a way that our lives prove the veracity of what we say. But something is missing here. Something big. Something essential, absolutely essential.
God’s divine, supernatural intervention.
Instead of relying on our lives to prove the truths we teach, we should be relying on God (because we live the truth so imperfectly). Instead of expecting our words to make a difference (and then getting frustrated and angry when we don’t succeed), we should — and can — expect God to do something supernatural.
So how do we become like the first Christians, so alive in the faith that signs and wonders help us bring others to conversion? There’s only one way: a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, which is strengthened by what is often called “baptism of the Spirit” or, as St. John the Baptist called it, “the baptism of fire”. It comes from asking for a renewal and charging up of the in-filling of the Holy Spirit we received when we were baptized with water.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill me. Come, Holy Spirit, renew me. Come, Holy Spirit, You have my permission to change me.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Inside the Ministry:
We fortify parents with prayers you can use
Parents have an unending ministry of praying for their children. At times it can be heartbreaking. Good News Ministries provides prayers that may aid parents in their ministry as prayer warriors.
- Pray Colossians 1:9-14 for your children
- A Prayer for a Son or Daughter
- Claim the Baptismal Promises of Your Son or Daughter
- Place Your Child into the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Novena to the Holy Spirit for a Son or Daughter
- Chaplet of Our Lady of the Lilies for a Son or Daughter
- Litany & Novena of Saint Monica
- Little Flower Novena for Healing in Your Family
This week’s recommended faith-builder:
Commissioned by the Holy Spirit to change the world
One sure fact about having a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is that we experience it most fully within the community life of Spirit-filled prayer meetings. Prayer meetings are not just about signs and wonders and other miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit such as prophetic messages and visions. They are launching pads for involvement in the parish community and going out into the world in the power of God to bring more people to conversion and deeper faith. This is where we are commissioned by the Holy Spirit to change the world.
For more on this, visit wordbytes.org/holy-spirit/commissioned-to-change-the-world.
WordBytes is a library of Catholic faith-building articles by Good News Ministries. Come on in and explore! Visit WordBytes.org today.
This week’s recommended podcast:
Help your lost loved ones with supernatural evangelization
God wants to do work supernaturally through us to bring others to conversion and faith growth. None of us can convince our loved ones who are rejecting Christ to change their minds and become faith-filled believers — not by our own efforts. God needs to intervene with supernatural evangelization.
Listen to this 2-part podcast:
1: How to bring loved ones to Christ @ gnm.org/footsteps6
then
2: How God brings our loved ones to Christ @ gnm.org/footsteps7
The transcripts are available for download too.
Answer to this week’s Trivia Challenge:
Why did St. Paul choose Barnabas as his partner in his first missionary journey? After Paul’s conversion, the Christians in Jerusalem were afraid of him, suspicious of his claim to faith. Barnabas vouched for him and convinced the Apostles of the reality of his faith and ministry (Acts 9:26–27).
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.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org
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