October 23, 2021

For you this week:

• Reflection for Saturday: How can we bring people back to church?
• New Podcast: Book reviewer digs into “My Soul Shall Be Healed”
• Inside the Ministry: Let the GNM staff pray for your beloved deceased
• From Good News WordBytes: When Love Hurts: Healing the Lepers of Today
  
• From the Good News Media Center: Mercy: How It Helps Evil-Doers
  

Saturday October 23, 2021

Romans 8:1-11
Psalm 24:1-6
Luke 13:1-9
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102321.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2021-10-23

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

Those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit… But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, as long as the Spirit of God dwells in you. (From Saturday’s first reading)

Reflection for Saturday:
How can we bring people back to church?

What question is on the forefront of our hearts more now than “how can we bring people back to church?” We care about people who do not go to church. How can we explain to them the importance of Mass and actually inspire in them a desire to go?

It’s important to help those who have quit going to Mass. In fact, Jesus will hold us accountable for ignoring opportunities that are clearly presented to us.

This Saturday’s first reading can be useful in understanding what’s happened them. Catholics who stop going to Mass are living by the flesh, not by the spirit (the scripture refers to their own spirit, which is connected to the Holy Spirit thanks to the Sacrament of Baptism). So the best strategy is to awaken in them a desire for a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Meanwhile, they have an Enemy who does not want this to happen. By their sins, they have given the Devil a legal right to influence them. Therefore, the first step is to pray for them and get other faith-filled friends praying for them. Include spiritual warfare prayers, such as The Rosary of Liberation (gnm.org/prayers/rosary-of-liberation) and The Prayer of Authority Against Evil (gnm.org/prayer-of-authority).

This step may take years, but meanwhile we expose them to the truth by the witness of our own lives. Are you Spirit-filled? Do you experience miracles and do you openly talk about them?

This will often lead to questions or some other indication that they are ready for the truth. Then the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak (Jesus promised this). Also ask Jesus to go ahead of you into the conversation, taking the lead. It is the Holy Spirit who inspires people to change, not us.

How can we bring people back to church? What to say really does vary for each person. Ask them (gently, without condemnation) why they don’t go to Mass. Find out what’s missing in their lives (something that they long for) and explain how a close relationship with Jesus will help them with that.

Share your own stories about how Jesus helped you. Then explain how going to Mass will help them feel the closeness and compassion of Jesus aiding them in their hardships. Share how the sacraments can help them, including Confession, which is necessary before they receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

People who stop going to Mass because of the scandals in the Church or for any other reason are living by the flesh, not the spirit. A sign of living by the flesh is that they haven’t recognized Jesus in the Eucharist with their spiritual eyes. They don’t understand that the Eucharist is truly and miraculously Jesus, fully present in body and blood and in Spirit. Teach the truth about the Eucharist. This is exciting stuff! A miracle happens at every Mass. Share with them your own experiences of feeling blessed by Jesus when receiving him in the Eucharist.

We need to get people to fall in love with the Eucharist, to realize the truth about the Eucharist. My newly published book, My Soul Shall Be Healed, can help you succeed in this.

It’s a tool that’s meant to be used in parish study groups to give people a better understanding of the Eucharist and inspire enthusiasm about the Mass. This book can change lives and bring countless people back to church. And it can bring those who are in the Church into a fuller, more aware, personal relationship with Jesus, Who is the Eucharist.

But it’s also good for individuals to use on their own. While you deepen your own understanding of the Eucharist, it will give you talking points and ideas for how to get others to become interested in meeting this Jesus Who’s present there in the Eucharist.

When you buy your own copy, buy an extra one to give to your pastor, and a third one to give to your DRE or whomever is in charge of adult faith formation in your parish — and be an ambassador for the Eucharist!

Go to gnm.org/mysoul and become an ambassador of the Eucharist today.

New Podcast:
Book reviewer digs into My Soul Shall Be Healed

Catholic book reviewer Pete Socks interviewed me for his podcast show, Off the Shelf. He asked:

“What exactly prompted you to write your new book, My Soul Shall Be Healed?”

“How has the Eucharist impacted your life as a convert?”

“You mentioned the Pew study — and that was pre-Covid — that showed that 70% of those in the pews didn’t believe in the Real Presence [of Jesus in the Eucharist]. So with your ministry background, what do you think led to that?”

“In the pandemic, when we locked the church doors, those people that were already doubting the Real Presence — we sent them a signal that they were right. So how do we get those people back in the pews now?”

Tune in to hear the answers: breadboxmedia.podbean.com/e/off-the-shelf-episode-226-with-terry-modica.

Inside the Ministry:
Let the GNM staff pray for your beloved deceased

On All Souls Day and throughout the month of November, Graciela, Lily, Kathy, Ralph and I would like to pray for those whom you dearly miss.

We are gathering the names of the beloved deceased from our Good News family. If you can, make a donation now in honor of a deceased loved one, and the staff will pray for him/her. If you cannot, we don’t want to leave anyone out, so we’ll accept a donation of prayer; sign up at gnm.org/support-by-prayers and reply to this email with the names of those for whom you want us to pray.

Specifically, we’ll pray for an increase of your loved one’s joy and total union with God. We’ll also pray that this dear one will become a personal patron saint for you and your family.

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 faith-builder:
When Love Hurts: Healing the Lepers of Today

Who are the lepers of today? The people in your life who need your healing touch but who repulse you, who cause suffering. They are the people who are the most difficult to love, the ones we reject because they keep hurting us, the jerks who make our lives miserable, the trouble-makers we stay away from to keep our lives more peaceful.

For more on this, visit wordbytes.org/suffering/lepers-of-today/.

This week’s recommended faith-builder:
Mercy: How It Helps Evil-Doers

How do you feel when someone who’s been hurtful, cruel, or morally corrupt gets hit with a hardship that makes them suffer? Our natural tendency is to rejoice because justice has finally been meted out. Jesus addresses this in Luke 13:1-9. Evil-doers are children of God living in ignorance of their true identity. Mourn with Jesus over this tragedy — this is the gift of mercy.

For more on this, watch the video @ gnm-media.org/luke-13-mercy-helps-evildoers.

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

Let’s connect in GNM’s community: See you there!

Keep your eyes on Jesus!
And when you have to look at others, see them through his eyes.