Monday Message, May 11, 2026
KNOW
We have a Parish Leader Check-In on Tuesday. We’ll be talking about dates you need to save for next year and deanery meetings we hope to host once per month. The link is here.
There is a Lunch and Lead on Wednesday. Details here.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation is coming up this month. We would love to have more catechists formed for our growing number of atriums around the diocese. Details here.
Bishop Frank Teaches the Faith will be streaming in September. If you want to order a toolkit for a watch party, you can do it here. They will be available at the Fall Forum on September 12th.
Dr. Joseph White has sent his slides from his April 23rd presentation. You can find them here.
Check out the great new ways to engage with Catequizem.
Once in a while, people need to read at weddings and funerals. We have developed special courses and training just for them. Flyers for readers at weddings and funerals are available online.
Have you sent out the survey to your catechists, parents, and young people? Have you taken it? Find it here.
We would love to hear your take on what comes next for Family Bible Challenge. For 19 seasons, we have been sending out reflections on Sunday and quizzes on Thursday. We would like to reimagine it, because, well, that’s what we do. What do you think? Email us here.
REFLECT
Christianity is more than Sunday Mass and an envelope for the collection basket. The follower of Jesus is present to the world in many ways beyond Sunday morning. Today’s readings broaden our vision of Christian presence.
In Acts, Luke speaks of Christianity’s spread from the confines of Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. The Samaritans accepted the first five books of the Old Testament and believed in a messiah, but they were nonetheless regarded as non-Jews. Luke has Philip proclaim the Messiah and perform miracles for these outsiders. Since missionary expansion must be rooted in the mother church of Jerusalem, Peter and John incorporate the Samaritans into that community by conferring the Spirit. For Luke, such missionary activity is a dramatic example of Christian presence.
The author of First Peter takes up the issue of persecution. Christians may at times have to suffer for the presence they seek to establish. If suffering is the price, then the persecutors will be ashamed because the good deeds of Jesus’ followers are so clear. Gentleness and respect, not brute force, are the Christian response. Jesus is the ultimate example of the just suffering for the unjust; his death means a new relationship with God for us.
John brings up the logical question: What is our relationship with Jesus once he has returned to the Father? The answer is equally logical: Keeping Jesus’ commands binds the believer to him. The Spirit also sustains Christ’s presence; the Paraclete is not only with but also within the disciple. The believer must release the Spirit so that consolation, teaching, and witnessing will occur.
All of us are missionaries. Each day, we meet those who need to hear good news about themselves and their basic human dignity. When we bring consolation, teaching, and direction, then we are releasers of the Spirit. The exercise of our God-given gifts and talents creates an infinite variety of Christian presence around the world.
