Session #21 - Made for Mission (Part 2)

I - Made for Mission: Pentecost – where the Church started!
- As discussed in Session #18, Pentecost is considered the birth of our Catholic Church AND how the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the gifts they needed to fulfill the mission they were made for. Here is a reminder of what happened on Pentecost:

At the end of the last class (see Session #20 notes), I shared with you that we are called to be the change – and of this change is to live the mission we are made for. The gifts the Holy Spirit has given you helps you to fulfill this mission. But you may be asking: “What is my mission?”

II - Finding Your Mission

Each of us have been designed by God with a specific mission. This mission is one that is unique to YOU. Let us hear what our Australian friend has to say: 

- As part of your journey towards the Sacrament of Confirmation, you will be asked to choose a "patron saint".
    * A saint is a person who has been called by God to be example of Christian life and holiness. They are old/young, men/women, all cultures/races, who decided to live a life of mission and follow God's call.
    * All saints have one thing in common: they lived life like you and I. They experienced temptations, rejection, fear, doubts, joy, hope, and love. They all had plans and dreams about their life.

- As we deepen our connection with God, we start seeing clearer what He has planned for us. Plans that are beyond our dreams, but also plans that ONLY us can fulfill. But how do we figure this out:

    * Prayer – remember: this is our conversation/connection with God.
    * Sacraments – going to Confession, going to Mass, receiving the Eucharist, being active with your community (inside AND outside of Church).
    * Practice! At the beginning of our year, we spoke about what helps us make good decisions (see pgs. 2-5 in textbook).

- The more we practice making good decisions, being aware of our “Stinking Thinking” and staying away from it, and always relying on God through prayer – helps us get closer to that mission God has planned for us.

III - Your Untapped Greatness (pgs. 286 -288)

- The last point of “how to figure out your mission” was “practice”. One of the ways we practice is by good decision making. One of the best decisions we can always make is to live the things we learn about our faith.

- How can we live our faith? We are called to go beyond ourselves and serve others:

 

- The Works of Mercy – it is the way we LIVE our faith by putting our unique gifts to the service of others. This is how we experience the love of God for us and others! In pages 287 and 288, you will see examples of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Read it carefully – chances are that you have/are currently doing some of these things. By performing these works, you will also come closer to your vocation (calling).

HOMEWORK (due on 5/8/22) 

- At the end of the last video, we are given a challenge: to intentionally practice works of mercy for 30 days:
    * Would you do it? If not, why? These are things to think about, not just write in a piece of paper or in the blog notes.
    * Imagine what the world would be like if we ALL would practice at least ONE work for mercy - what would it look like?