New Website, New Vision

It's amazing how the Holy Spirit will put us to work. You see, we all have been given certain charisms. These spiritual gifts are meant to be used in the service of God. Some of us can sing, while some others are really good at managing a food pantry. For me, it's teaching.

We seem to be living in a time of great spiritual confusion. Many Christians are falling prey to terrible ideas that seem really good when shouted by those who hate the Church. And the effects of this are well documented among our brethren: doubt in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, young people leaving the Church, and an increasing acceptance of abortion.

It's rather obvious that the call to a New Evangelization must include our own within the Church. I say that the New Evangelization must begin among our own pews.

You see, in the Acts of the Apostles whenever Paul arrived at a city he started preaching in the local synagogue first. I see that as an example that as we look to evangelize outside the Church, we should start first within the Church.

That's where I think my charism comes in. Teaching others the beauty of our faith and the history of our Chruch are worthy pursuits to be sure, but to teach the Bible, that is where mystery truly begins to unfold. But when we're competing against the little magic rectangles of endless entertainment that everyone carries in their pockets, it seemed to me that we should take the New Evangelization into this digital frontier more effectively.

That's where the idea of Micro Bible Studies began to take shape. Bible study books are plentiful, and there are plenty of courses and other digital media on the topic, but few of these easily fit into the busy lives most Christians are living today. It's hard to sit through a 12-week study course, even more when it is offered on a Monday morning at 10am in the parish social hall.

I'm hoping that this endeavor of creating Micro Bible Studies--short studies of a Psalm, passage, or other Biblical topic in 45 minutes or less--can help bring the beauty and majesty of the Bible into the hearts and minds of more people. I pray that this endeavor will strengthen people's knowledge and deepen their love of God, and from there be in a far better position to take the Good News to the ends of the earth.

Pray for me and for this project. May God bless you.

-E.