Evangelization

"The Church exists in order to evangelize."
-- Evangelii Nuntiandi, Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Paul VI

"We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church." It is a task and mission which the vast and profound changes of present-day society make all the more urgent. Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious resurrection.” (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14)

Jesus loves you!

Are you interested in exploring the Catholic Faith?

If you have questions about the Catholic faith or wish to know how to become a Catholic Christian follower of Christ, call our offices and we will endeavor to answer them. Phone us (816) 714-2308 or email us at sasso@diocesekcsj.org. To read about the Sacrifice of the Mass please click here. Curious about what Catholics believe? Read from the Catechism of the Catholic Church by clicking here. True freedom comes in believing and living in Christ Jesus, our Savior.

The Second Vatican Council fathers wrote: "The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word [Jesus Christ, our Savior] does the mystery of man take on light" (Gaudium et Spes, 22). Christ came to bring us a means of salvation through the Sacraments of the Church.

The Sacraments of the Church Nourish and Sustain Life

As Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has written the sacraments are given by Christ to sustain us in the spiritual life. He wrote:

Over and above this human life, there is the divine Christ-life. The
seven conditions of leading a personal Christ-life are the following:

(1) We must be spiritually born to it, and that is the Sacrament of
Baptism; (2) We must nourish the divine life in the soul, which is the
Eucharist; (3) We must grow to spiritual maturity and assume full
responsibilities as members of the spiritual army of the Church, which
is Confirmation; (4) We must heal the wounds of sin, which is Penance;
(5) We must drive out the traces of the diseases of sin, which is the
Anointing of the Sick; (6) We must live under the spiritual government
of the Church, which is Holy Orders; (7) We must prolong and propagate
the Kingdom of God on earth, which is Matrimony.

Thinking about Renewing Your Catholic Faith?

"All Catholics know many people who have received the gift of faith through baptism," says Paulist Father Frank DeSiano, "but for one reason or another seem to be disconnected from the Church. Their gift lies dormant within them, even as they hunger for something more in their lives. Their faith needs to be awakened. It's up to us Catholics who are active and committed to reach out to our brothers and sisters through hospitality, invitation, and open conversation."

Fr. DeSiano, the newly appointed president of PNCEA, invites all parishes to consider what activities they will be offering this year—and to include in those activities outreach to Catholics who have grown distant from the faith. Make our Catholics away from home feel welcome in our parishes. For more information on parish programs, or how to return to the faith, contact us at (816) 714-2308.

Please visit the Catholics Come Home website by clicking here.

St. Augustine on the Church

In the Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19), down to the present episcopate.

And so, lastly, does the very name of Catholic, which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house.

Such then in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should...With you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me... No one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties so many and so strong to the Christian religion...For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.

St. Augustine (AD 354-430)
Against the Epistle of Manichaeus AD 397
[Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti]

"Let us love our Lord God, let us love His Church, Him as a Father, her as a Mother; Him as a Master, her as His Handmaid; for we are children of the Handmaid herself. But this marriage is held together by great love; no one offends the one and gains favor with the other. . . . Cling, then, beloved, cling all with one mind to God our Father and to the Church our Mother."

Sermons [inter A.D. 391-430]: Reconciliation by St. Augustine

"If you want God to forgive, you must confess. Sin cannot go unpunished. It were unseemly, improper, and unjust for sin to go unpunished. Since, therefore, sin must not go unpunished, let it be punished by you, lest you be punished for it. Let your sin have you for its judge, not its patron. Go up and take the bench against yourself, and put your guilt before yourself. Do not put it behind you, or God will put it in front of you."

"If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." St. Augustine

Questions on the Catholic Faith?
Christ founded only one Church. He prayed for its unity in John 17: 20, "that all may be one." St. Paul wrote that "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all . . ." (Ephesians 4: 4). Do you know its history? If you have questions about the Catholic faith or wish to know how to become a Catholic Christian follower of Christ, call our offices and we will endeavor to answer them. We can connect you to an inquirers class at a local parish Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) so that you can consider joining us on this great lifetime journey of faith. Phone us at (816) 714-2308 or (816) 756-1850 ext. 222 or email us at sasso@diocesekcsj.org.

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