The following comes from a May 16 column by Father C. John McCloskey on The Catholic Thing. Father was instrumental in the conversion of abortionist Bernard Nathanson, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, and Senator Sam Brownback.
The very title of this column may scare you off, but bear with me and you may find the topic less daunting than you fear.
God has brought us into this world to prepare us all for everlasting joy with him in Heaven. This eternity of bliss, however, is intended not just for you or me, but for as many as possible. So a large part of our mission here on earth is to share our faith with family, friends, and all those put in our path on the road to everlasting glory. And that includes those outside the home that we may spend much of our waking hours with, those in the workplace.
Work is a good in itself – and not simply (though importantly) a means of making money to support a family. St. John Paul II wrote in 1981: “Man was called to work even before original sin. Man is the image of God partly through the mandate received by the Creator to subdue. To dominate the earth. . .in other words man’s work is in some way a part in God’s creative power!”
We then are co-creators. This is both a privilege and a serious duty. The pope also discusses human work as a way of growing in holiness that prepares us for eternal happiness. After all, Our Lord constantly refers to workers in his preaching, and his greatest apostle was Paul, a tentmaker. You can be sure that St. Paul united his work with prayer so that it would not only contribute to earthly progress, but also extend the Kingdom of God….
In his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis writes:
Today, as the Church seeks to experience a profound missionary renewal there is a kind of preaching which falls to each of us as a daily responsibility. It has to do with bringing the Gospel to the people we meet, whether they are our neighbors or complete strangers. This is the informal preaching that takes place in the middle of a conversation, something like what a missionary does when visiting a home. Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others and this can happen unexpectedly anyplace: on the street in a city, or during work or in a city square or on a journey.
In this preaching, which is always gentle, the first step is personal dialogue, when the other person speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes, and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs. Only afterwards is it possible to bring up God’s word, perhaps by reading a Bible verse or relating a story, but always keeping in mind the fundamental message: the personal love of God who became man, who gave himself up for us, who is living and who offers us his salvation and his friendship. This message has to be shared humbly as a testimony on the part of one who is always willing to learn, in the awareness that the message is so rich and so deep that it always exceeds our grasp.
So what can you do in your work to bring others to the Lord and his Church? Well, virtually all of you work if you are under 65 or so. You may work at home, from home, or at the office; you may be outside, in a government building, or in one of thousands of other settings. In any case, almost everyone comes in contact with people, whether few or many. Each has an immortal soul, and each one is either in a state of grace or in a state of mortal sin, ready for an eternity in heaven or hell.
What are you going to do with them as you encounter them throughout the day?
Here are some ideas of how to be a bearer of Christ to them:
- Be an example of a hard worker;
- Over time and in a natural way, become their friend, let them know they can rely on you always, and reciprocate by confiding in them when you have troubles (as we all do);
- Be joyful and fun to be with;
- Talk to them about your family;
- Talk to them about your faith;
- Ask them about theirs;
- Pray for them;
- Visit them when they are ill or down, when they’ve lost a job or a loved one;
- Ask them if they have ever thought of being Catholic. Would they like to know more?
- Invite them to noon or Sunday Mass;
- Tell them about the love of Mary our mother.
And in addition, pray for and imitate our pope, cultivate crazy love for the Lord as he does, share that love with your fellow workers, and God will reap a harvest of souls through you.
To read the entire post, click here.
With only the truth will we find Jesus!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyV01zXuW-A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0alWwLqDKBg
Jesus I trust in you.
This is so very helpful! Thank you Father McCloskey!
Why not just be honest? Tell them what the Bible says and encourage them to learn more. They have a right to know the consequences of failing to accept Jesus into their hearts.
pie jesu
for the lyrics if you don’t know Latin Pie Jesu
The Priests do a great job at evangelization. here is a video on their music, they sing beautiful, angelic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-T68eRaO3w
and their music:
That really takes transubstantiation to the next level . . .
peter I don’t want to offend you but I don’t get what you are trying to convey here? really? I am like huh? Must be a blonde moment.
Just playing on words . . . Jesus Pie.
I lost a job that I had held for 12 years because of my faith. I truly followed that list (not perfectly, and not entirely, but I can say that there were times when I was humble and diligent, and faithful) but the problem was that there was a woman there who practiced satanic worship. She openly confided in me that she enjoyed watching her work (the work of using darkness to get what she wanted) and I have to say that she was very effective because she managed to dislodge people from positions as she “moved up” the chain until it came to my job. Yes, the last six months of my job were like living in a horror movie. There was no way that I could fight against her with the people she used against me. Even I myself kind of fell into a depressing stupor, she used an object on my desk to do that. But God does use dark things to make good from it. I am now volunteering at a pregnancy resource center, working with abortion minded women, helping them to choose life. I have to say I am relieved that I am there, and those last six months haunt me at times, but the work I am doing now far outweighs what happened there. Glory to God, and I thank Him everyday for His Loving Mercy. The one thing that I failed to do was to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion daily. I truly believe that had I done that, she would not have been so successful. So, if you decide to jump in and test those waters, prepare yourself with daily Mass and Holy Communion. i am positive your results will bear much fruit, and much satisfaction with carrying Jesus in your heart.
Thanks for your story. I am sure that I have not encountered anything as diabolical as what you encountered. As you note, preparation with frequent reception of our eucharistic Lord with frequent confession are grear preparations in any circumstance. I would also recommend frequent Saint Michael prayers with liberal use of holy water from the old rite.
Like you, I work to be an effective witness in my work. It’s often a challenge to work the “stony ground”. But, we trust inthe lord of the harvest.
Paul VI told a group of laymen that, “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Very true, IMO.
Life Lady I am so sorry to hear about your last job because of that woman who practiced evil work. There are many people who do those evil things, even in the church there are those who attend Mass and are active in the church life but still practice witch craft. Talk to a priest on what you had experienced and see what else you can do. Cling on to God and His word, He will protect you. They may try to control things with their evil works but they have no power over your soul, for your soul belongs to Christ as you freely give yourself to Him, who saves. Pity those people, for they bring curses upon themselves when they participate in such things. They don’t realize what great harm they will pass on their own future generation and their family.
Reflect on this: When someone messes with His own, they mess with Him and they will reap harsh consequences due to their actions. Remember that we are not always so vulnerable, we have our guardian Angels, they say that when someone wishes to harm someone who is under the protection of their guardian Angel as commanded by God, that they will have to answer to that persons Guardian angel too and to God for the harm they wished so ill. What they do will be returned to them ten times worst because they are working with evil not good. Not that you wish evil back but its the reality of what those people bring on themselves but you can offer up prayers for that person and move forward in Christ.
What has a person to fear who lives in the arms and bosom of God?
— Saint Paul of the Cross
Lifelady, I bought a small booklet from EWTN called Spiritual Warfare Prayers, and one of the prayers for those in such cases is: God, our Lord, King of ages, All powerful…where there is envy and malice, give me an abundance of goodness, endurance, victory and charity, O Lord, you who love man, I beg you to reach out your powerful hands and your most high and mighty arms and come to my aid. Send your angel of peace over me and protect my body and soul. May he keep at bay and vanquish every evil power, every poison or malice invoked against me by corrupt and envious people. Then under the protection of your authority may I sing with gratitude, the Lord is my salvation; whom shall I fear?…
Lots of really helpful prayers for families, etc. too…even healing the family tree.
“….the CATECHISM has raised throughout the world, even among non-Christians, and confirms its purpose of being presented as a full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the Church professes, celebrates, lives, and prays in her daily life.” – Pope (Saint) John Paul II (CCC pg xiv)
Share faith by example in the workplace, not preaching. Nobody wants to be lectured about God at work. Be positive, encouraging, diligent, productive, adn focused at work, that’s the best wisdom. Faith is caught, not taught.
good cause, teaching by example is good and important.
But Buddists, Muslims, Jews, Protestants and athiests can be just as positive, encouraging, diligent, productive, and focused at work.
One must wonder — how did the Apostles and disciples do it? That is, how did they go out into a hostile world and tell everyone, in effect, that they had to greatly alter their lives, or they would be lost? What does the Bible say about the Great Commission: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost//Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you[.]” (Matt. 28:19-20) (DRV) No simpering, whimpering, feminized, ecumenists need apply for this tough job. This Commission is what evangelization is accurately about, whether you do it at work, at home, or anywhere. Conversion is what Jesus was after, not accommocation, bringing all together (not that a disciple will “go native” and become a Buddist-Catholic, or a Hindu-Catholic, or a Muslim-Catholic). You must teach that there is only one way and that means through the Catholic CHurch. And, you will be hated for it, but you will also convert many, ultimately. Remember, too, that, except for John, the Apostles, and many, many early disciples were murdered. Pray for all that seek to convert the world to Christ, through his Church.
To be used of God on the job is a wonderful experience. I had a troubled young lady on the job come to me and ask” Can I have what you have?” The Holy Spirit directed both of us that day. There are many Christian business mens’ ministries, I would recommend Businessmen’s Fellowship for one. If your co workers see Jesus on your face they will come to you and Jesus gets all the credit! God bless you Fr. McCloskey…
Curiously – not really… There is a different movement afoot in ‘catholic’ (Small ‘C’) Education to ‘fundamentally transform’ them in to Public Charter Schools – and ditch all the ‘religious’ stuff in order to get More State Funding.
BTW – Schools that take virtually Any Federal / State funding (even to feed poor kids) may be open to the entire Anti-Cathlic ‘Pander or Perish’ rules of the Gaystapo Alliance in this age of Abomination. Such is the price of taking Caesar’s Coin.
Stripping Catholic Schools of Catholic Identity and Values is a goal of the Gaystapo Alliance – who want to use public funding to force Anti-Catholic Hate Propaganda upon the Children in Class. BTW – No More Crosses on the wall either, kind of like far too many ‘Catholic’ college classrooms.
The Catholic Education System could run its own equivalent of Charter / Magnet programs, but the Full time Custodial nature of the present system needs to be re-thought, as with other type charters.
So long as Schools must also provide Daycare, they are more tied to the traditional forms of classroom / grades – as opposed to self paced systems that they could be.
“Catholic Schools ‘Switching’ to Charter Schools, Study Finds
https://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/3290/Catholic-Schools-‘Switching’-to-Charter-Schools-Study-Finds.aspx
The Abomination is trying to Evangelize the Vatican – and the Church in the World, using Caesars coin and coercion wherever and whenever possible:
US EMBASSY TO VATICAN: CELEBRATE LGBT DAY WITH US!
BY THOMAS PETERS
Our embassy to the Holy See was established to promote goodwill between the United States and the Vatican.
Under the Obama administration, however, it has at best done nothing and at worst it actively harms our relationship with the Holy See.
Today for instance the embassy staff took a break from posting selfies and asking “who’s your favorite jazz performer?” to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on their official Facebook page:
https://www.catholicvote.org/us-embassy-to-vatican-celebrate-lgbt-day-with-us/
On May 23, a United Nations committee is set to publish its verdict on the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. It’s hard to tell what the result is going be. But it’s entirely possible that the committee will rule that the Vatican is guilty of violating international laws on torture for allowing Catholic priests to commit acts of pedophilia (and by covering up their crimes).
If the U.N. Committee Against Torture rules against the Holy See, church leaders will have only themselves to blame. Both the recently canonized John Paul II and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, could have chosen to tackle the abuse allegations head-on. Instead they went to considerable effort to cover up cases of abuse, in some cases moving suspect priests away from their accusers to help them evade criminal responsibility.
Pope Francis volunteered to be Pope. As part of the control group now, he like the ex-Pope and Cardinals Bertone, Sodano, Levada, Parolin and Mueller are all subject to the long arm of the International Criminal Court. The Court merely deferred taking action for now; a prosecution of Vatican leaders remains legally feasible. Moreover, the Vatican remains subject to the UN committee on children under the treaty the Vatican is bound by. Francis is running out of time.
“Jim”: The U.N. is a catastrophic joke on Mankind. Full of “leaders” that have assumed authority over the corpses of their opponents, and of “liberals” that are unelected and want to redistribute all wealth and reorganize all lifestyles, it lives to humble the United States and other “colonial” nations, doing little to truly assist the billions of people that need help (although there are wonderful things done here and there by U.N. teams). Further, and more to your point, the U.N. — and any world criminal court — lacks any ability to sanction any of its decrees or directives. And that is a good thing, or the American economy would be even more of a wreck than it is, and every American leader (except for Obama) would be under “international indictment” or sentence. That is not to say that leaders of the Catholic Church, especially its bishops, need to pay for their crimes of commission and omission — they do — but in our own courts only, not those of some crazed socialist from Scandinavia, ranting about this or that “offense against humanity” (all the while thinking, back at home, about new expansions to laws on euthanasia, and the like). Curiously enough, the U.N. wants to get at the Vatican to stop Catholic teachings on homosexuality, discrimination against women, abortion, and the like — not so much on child molestation; it is a terrible scandal.
The thirty-year chapter of Catholic Church history, dominated by an epidemic of sexual abuse of minors by clerics and ineptitude and malfeasance by bishops, has exposed flaws in several essential elements of the Church that are so destructive to the People of God that they are fatal to the present paradigm of the Church. Try as they might the ordained office-holders have been unable to change or camouflage these flaws. The chasm that separated the clergy and hierarchy from the mass of lay people has shrunk to the point where the old methods of control no longer work. The playing field has been leveled to the point where ever growing numbers of Catholics are encountering and confronting bishops as adults and not as compliant and docile children. This has irrevocably altered the definition of the Church promulgated by Pius X in his 1906 encyclical Vehementer Nos: “It follows that the Church is essentially an unequal society, that is, a society comprising two categories of persons, the Pastors and the flock, those who occupy a rank in the different degrees of the hierarchy and the multitude of the faithful. So distinct are these categories that with the pastoral body only rests the necessary right and authority for promoting the end of the society and directing all its members towards that end; the one duty of the multitude is to allow themselves to be led, and, like a docile flock, to follow the Pastors.”
Jim I understand your concerns but come on….dominated by an epidemic of sexual abuse? Really. You are totally misrepresenting the truth and it is an injustice. You must be an unhappy fellow. Take a look at public schools which the abuse of minors is far greater…for you to just magnify the church on those sins of men, then you are just an unjust kind of person. Not one who can be reasoned with.
Abeca, the truth is what it is. It’s not that hard to understand.
Precisely that is why your man made truth is what I’m having issues with. It is not fixed on Jesus, well not entirely, the rest only God can read your heart and I leave that for our Lord to judge. God bless you Jim. : )
In spite of the insistence of Pius’ successors that this is the only authentic understanding of the socio-political structuring of the people of God, the realities of life in the Catholic Church over the past fifty years have shown that rather than comply in lock-step to such stratification, the voices and actions of a significant number of lay persons, religious and clerics have shown that “agere sequitur esse”, “action follows being,” is not so much changing the meaning of the Church, but revealing what it really is.
Jim I wish I can understand your mind set, but I am being honest, I really don’t. I just think that your mindset just neglects more to the puzzle of this spiritual battle we are enduring. Its more than just facts you think are facts, its far more spiritual. No offense to you and I have no malice towards you either. You mention the last 50 years, well that’s longer than I lived here on earth and as far as I can go back reading from biblical times, mankind has continued to sin. I don’t like what took place recently with some of the scandals, no more than what I like what is happening in the secular, except that numbers show they are far worst than what people love to magnify as they try to trash our entire church. But this is what we must suffer due to sins of a few. The minute those in charge took their eye’s of off Jesus, well, we continue to see this trend of dissent and great evil, which has always existed. Even our precious Lord Jesus knew what Judas was up to. From Adam and Eve to today.
furthermore I find your last comment offensive to my love in Jesus and to my faith. and I quote from you “is not so much changing the meaning of the Church, but revealing what it really is.”.
Wow must be sad to carry that kind of hatred around. It smells like despair and lack of hope. But I can’t help but have compassion towards you. Perhaps its not a hatred you feel, its just something more deeper. Only Jesus can heal. I don’t want to add more to your prejudices. I am sorry, so lets just explain my point of view.
I love Jesus and His church, the church is wholesome and there the truth is alive and I pray that it’s alive in me too in the way I live my life. This is who I am, I belong to Jesus. This is what I know in my heart to be the truth. The sins of men do not take away from those facts about Christ and His church. I fix my eye’s on Jesus, if I’m to ask Jesus to make my heart like His own, then I know that sin exists in humans. Sin is something that rots this earth and separates us from a loving relationship with Christ. But a person such as me, has no power over them but all I can do is be faithful to my Lord and continue seeking out His mercy and graces to better myself in Him and to continue to pray with sincerity that God’s will be done.
His will be done, His justice, His healing, His everything. To have contempt for this world. We have good lay faithful in our church, who are often the unmentionables, who are fighting the good fight, even to the point where they are persecuted, censored etc. You often notice the bad but what about the good. It is unjust to not acknowledge the existence of truth which is in the church through the Eucharist and to neglect the understanding of why the wicked one wants to destroy Christ’s church, as if there was no truth to begin with. Last I heard, Jesus was handed over to Pontius Pilot by His people, to scourge Him, beat Him etc…..He permitted this because He loves His church and for our sins.
The clerical elite which have given rise to clericalism and anticlericalism for centuries, has kept the toxic arrogance, secrecy and magical thinking alive throughout much of the Church’s history. Has it been so important and essential to the mission of Christ that the physical, emotional and spiritual destruction of the most vulnerable among us is justified?
The concept of religious duressis a force that is clearly active and highly influential in Catholic clergy sex abuse cases. It severely impacts the victims, their family members, especially parents and the Catholic community in general. Catholic victims often are petrified with fear which is a result of their indoctrination as well as the words and actions of their perpetrators. They fear severe spiritual or even physical consequences for disclosing a clergy abuser. Catholics have been taught that priests take the place of Jesus Christ. Because of this deeply ingrained belief, erroneous though it may be, youthful victims and their parents have regularly been paralyzed by fear and have remained silent about clergy sex abuse. The recent publicity given to clergy sex abuse has been instrumental in freeing some victims from the clenches of this intense fear and has allowed them to come forward even though their disclosures may come many years after the actual abuse. The victims’ family members are influenced because they often have either refused to believe the victims or have refused to disclose the abuse for fear of divine retribution. The community at large has been influenced because at times victims and their families have been ostracized for speaking out against priest abusers. At other times and more often, significant numbers of the Catholic laity have provided support to accused priests and refused to believe accusations of abuse.
Those who do not turn in ANY person who is guilty of sexually abusing children to the CIVIL authorities – aids and abets in the evil action himself.
CCC: ” 1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:
– by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
– by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
– by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
– by protecting evil-doers.”
The CCC is very clear, and is abt 20 years old.
There are no excuses.
________
https://usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/Charter-for-the-Protection-of-Children-and-Young-People-revised-2011.pdf
We are co-creators? Good grief who do we think we are mormons? Who do we think we are placing ourselves as equal to God? We should do our best to convert protestants, agnostics, atheists, and pagans to the RC faith; however, we can’t do it alone, we need to pray and sacrifice alot to make any progress in others souls. Many people are closed to God these days and can’t comprehend His Divinty. Quite frankly who can? What is necessary is the Holy Ghost, only He can provide the non-RCs with the graces to convert to the RC faith. Our prayers are the top priority, followed by our compassion and controlled zeal. Ecumenism by definition is not conversion. Ecumenism puts protestant religions and pagan religions on the same praying field as the RC faith, unwilling to offend any other faiths. Investigate what happened in Assisi around 1986 with JP2, he had pagan statues sitting on RC altars!
heh heh…if Jim isn’t an anti-Catholic mormon I’ll eat my hat. I can feel the animosity just radiating from his pores like acid. He’s like those poor mormon ‘missionaries’ in Colorado that deliberately destroyed a statue of Mary. Ask Jim what he thinks about the Trinity and our Comforter, the Holy Ghost. Poor man. Pray for him, friends, for he is full of bile and bitterness and has lost his way. In the name of Jesus Christ, I call forth and ask the Holy Ghost to fill Jim with peace and charity and may the glory of the Catholic faith open his eyes to the one true Church, without which there can be no salvation. Amen
Our present era of clergy abuse revelation began in 1984. Since then, the Church’s governmental system has yet to publicly call for a widespread pastoral response to the countless direct and collateral victims of clergy abuse. Very few of the authority figures have taken off their robes and symbols of power, dismounted their thrones and gone out to the wounded as Christ would do. Yet there has been significant progress in the struggle for justice and pastoral compassion towards all those harmed by clergy sexual abuse. The progress has been in spite of the Vatican and the world’s bishops, and not because of them.