Msgr. James Bartylla, Vicar General, announces the following priest appointment made by Most Reverend Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison:
Category: Bishop
Going forth as missionary disciples
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The fourth part of the Kerygma is giving witness to the saving love of the Lord to others, to go forth as missionary disciples.
Too often as Catholics, we have quietly and individually lived out our faith, but seldom have we equipped believers to share that faith with those around them.
Missionary discipleship
Believers focus on their relationship with God; missionary disciples help others grow their own spirituality. Believers embrace a deep prayer life which is seldom shared with other people; missionary disciples boldly and joyously pray with others out loud and speak of their love for Christ.
Any pastoral renewal seeks to help our leaders and people grow in their understanding and practice of missionary discipleship. We can look at missionary discipleship through the lens of Jesus’ two commands, “Follow me” and “Go forth.”
This Advent, invite the Lord to enter in
In my columns during the season of Advent, I am reflecting on the Kerygma, the basic proclamation of the Gospel in its essence.
Last week, I pondered the first part of this Good News, which is the radical, unconditional, and eternal love of God for us, a love that we cannot even begin to grasp! Our experience of the Lord’s saving mercy is the basis of our spiritual response to God’s remarkable initiative, as Jesus breaks into our lives in all joy and promise.
If you had five minutes to speak about your love of Christ, what would you say about your belief?
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The kerygma also reminds us of other key Scriptural figures — Peter standing up in the streets of Jerusalem on the feast of Pentecost to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus for the first time; Paul preaching the meaning of faith in Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and his letters as thoughtfully theological follow-ups to the kerygma.
Proclaiming the Gospel
The task of every vocation in the Church, from those in Holy Orders to the Religious to the lay faithful, is to proclaim the Gospel. This mission is the fundamental purpose of the Body of Christ.
Advent is a significant moment for us to go back to the basics of our faith. Who is Jesus for us? How have we experienced him? How do I grow in my relationship with the Lord? How do I better proclaim the love, mercy, and forgiveness that I have experienced flowing from his merciful heart?
Thanksgiving: A reminder that all received is a gift meant to be cherished, celebrated, and shared
Thanksgiving Day has remained a simple holiday. No gifts, candy, decorations, or seasons are attached to it. Family and friends simply gather for a meal on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks to God and one another, rejoicing in the many graces and blessings that we have received from the hands of the provident and loving Lord of the feast.
For us, as Christians, thanksgiving is not simply a day on the calendar but rather a whole way of life.
Time is ticking away: thoughts on life and death
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If you knew the date of your death, how would you live differently?
Such a question may seem strange, but it is one I think about once in a while. Perhaps, I would live fearlessly; knowing how much time I have left would enable me to take risks and face danger more boldly.
If I was facing a premature death, would that knowledge painfully shadow my thoughts and feelings every day? If I was blessed with a long life, maybe I would be tempted to put off conversion, foolishly thinking I have so much time to pull things together.
Obviously, all of these questions and thoughts are moot, since we know neither the day nor the hour of our passing from this life.
Humility is the basis of the spiritual life
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“Though He was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!”
Paul quotes these lines of the Kenotic Hymn in the second chapter of his letter to the Philippians, citing Christ’s example of humility as a model for the community to emulate.
Two leaders of the Christian community in Philippi were fighting with each other, causing dissension and conflict, so Paul, from his prison cell, seeks to heal the division. The Kenotic Hymn is probably the earliest Scriptural articulation of the Paschal Mystery, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The Greek word “kenosis” means “self-emptying,” a pouring out, a radical gift of self.
Reflections on Dominus Iesus, part two
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In my last column, I began speaking about the Declaration Dominus Iesus (“the Lord Jesus”), which recalls for us “certain indispensable elements of Christian doctrine” that we all need to keep in mind as we think about one of the big questions confronting the Amazon Synod in Rome, which is simply this: how are we called to relate to followers of non-Christian religions, many of whom have never heard the proclamation of the saving truth of the Gospel?
What are these “indispensable elements of Christian doctrine”? The Declaration mentions more things than we have space to discuss here, but I want to highlight the first one in particular, which has to do with the fullness and definitiveness of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Reflections on ‘Dominus Iesus’
The primary aim of the Amazon Synod that is happening right now in Rome is, in the words of Pope Francis, to “identify new ways for the evangelization of that portion of the people of God, and especially the indigenous peoples.”1
This question of how to evangelize is very important, not only for the Amazon Region, but for the whole Church. How do we bring Jesus Christ to those who have never heard of him? And more specifically, how are we called to treat other cultures and other religions with the respect they deserve yet without compromising the saving truth of the Gospel?
Catechism stands as a light in the darkness
I was blessed to do a series of talks on the Catechism of the Catholic Church recently at St. Dennis Parish. I was impressed with the intense interest and attendance level every night.
People are hungry to learn more about the Faith and to put it into practice. Copies of the Catechism flew off the back table at an inspiring rate, which made this bishop’s heart very happy!