E-Flame Newsletter March 2018
We warmly welcome you and thank you for subscribing to receive the  Ignite Your Faith  E-Flame newsletter. Each month, you will find information on current and past events, articles to cultivate your faith life, and a calendar of upcoming events. We invite you to use this email as a one-stop resource center in Igniting Your Faith. 
Calendar of Events


Sunday, March 25th 1:30-3:00 pm in the main church
Reading of the Entire Gospel According to Mark

Join us as this very special Lenten tradition returns for the 4th year. Come follow Jesus from John the Baptist and calling the Disciples to hearing His parables, healings, and travels to Jerusalem, leading to His passion on the cross for our salvation. This is beautiful way to invite others to hear the word of God, some for the first time.  





Holy Week/Easter  Schedule

Holy Thursday, March 29
Mass of the Lord's Supper, 7:00 p.m. 

Good Friday, March 30
Living Stations of the Cross, 3:00 p.m.
Liturgy of the Lord's Passion, 7:00 p.m.

Holy Saturday, March 31- Easter Vigil, 8:00 p.m.
Easter, April 1- Mass Times, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.


 
Month of April
4-week "Evangelization Challenge"
Be on the lookout for more details soon!





Monday, April 23rd, 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm  in room A14
Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic book discussion on Evangelization chapter with Dr. Tod Worner






For more information, St. Bart's IYF Web Page
Recap of Speaker Series 
Evangelization 
With Fr. Michael Joncas
Shelly Dau
 
On February 25th, we were blessed to have Father Michael Joncas share his thoughts with us about evangelization, the fourth and final sign of a Dynamic Catholic. He used the Gospel of Mark's Transfiguration story (Mark 9: 2-13) as wells as a hymn that he wrote to give us an idea of how the Transfiguration provides an example for us to evangelize, with several verses to teach about evangelization and how it should work.
 
According to Father Joncas, the heart of evangelization is drawing people into a living relationship with Jesus. Coming to know Jesus as our friend is at the core of who we are as a people. Friendship is the most natural and effective way to share the faith with others.
 
But, in order to evangelize, we must first come to know the Lord as our own savior. The Transfiguration revealed Christ's divine nature to us for the first time; the Glory of God was revealed in Jesus, which is important for us to understand and believe. As Catholics we believe in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Second, to evangelize we must understand what shaped and formed Jesus. The Transfiguration included both Moses, who represented the law, and Elijah, who represents the prophets. God was showing us how all Hebrew history was being handed to Jesus from that moment forward. Father Joncas shared how "ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ" and  we need to understand the history that formed who Jesus was in order to evangelize in a way that is most effective. The God who comes to us is often hidden, but He reveals himself in the crucifixion and His arms are open wide for anyone who believes. He calls us to walk down from the mountain and invites us to share Him with others.
 
In Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, Matthew Kelly puts it another way, but is saying the same thing. God wants to win you with his love and wisdom; God wants to build you up spiritually so that you have the knowledge and habits to live in his love and walk in his ways; and God wants to send you into the world to share his love with others. Win. Build. Send. The formula for evangelization success.
Witness 
Notes From Nudging Conversions

Notes From  Nudging Conversions
Victoria Siedlecki

After reading the give-away book for the Evangelization phase of IYF, Nudging Conversions by Carrie Gress, I wanted to highlight one of the most important lessons that I learned, and that is before I say or do anything, prayer is the first step I make. 

Many times it can feel disheartening when we try (and fail) to engage others in a faith conversation and we just wish we had the right words and all the answers for our searching brothers and sisters. Thankfully, God has, is, and always will be in control of the conversion process. We, however, are a vital part of His process and we can only be used for His glory if we are able to follow His lead, and following someone's lead requires understanding of instructions. Prayer is how we receive His instructions.

"When we are praying regularly, our discernment goes from trying to interpret the hand gestures of a first base coach when we are not on the team to having that coach whisper directly into our ears exactly what we should do. It is an absolute essential." (Gress,   

The following are different ways to foster your prayer life so that you can start giving to others, not what you have, but what God gives you.

-Mass-
Aside from the most important miracle that happens at every Mass, Jesus giving Himself to us through the Eucharist, our petitions for our loved ones are the closest to Jesus when we state them during the Mass. If you humbly tell Jesus who needs his love and guidance, rest assure He hears your prayers at Mass.

St. Bart's Mass Schedule
Saturday 5:00 pm, Sunday 8:30 am and 10:30 am, School Mass Wednesday 9:00 am, daily mass times vary and are posted online and in the bulletin.

-Adoration-
Bring everything, your joys, your fears, your worries, your sorrows, every single person that needs Jesus, and bring all of that and lay it down at the foot of the cross. "While the fruit of Adoration may not be immediately apparent, over time it reveals itself more through what you say to others and how you say it, particularly as your own heart continues to be transformed."

St. Bart's Adoration Schedule
4:30-7:30 pm, Wednesdays when faith formation is in session. The first Friday of the month. Check the bulletin and website for changes.

To sign up for April 6, click Eucharistic Adoration Sign Up.
 
-The Rosary-
Inviting the Blessed Mother to come alongside us in our efforts to evangelize can bring many blessings and using the rosary as a prayer tool is armoring us up for the spiritual battle. Remember, it is our mission given to us from Christ Himself to be the light of the world. Praying the rosary helps us to meditate on the life of Jesus and so that our light will keep shining even in the darkness.

Rosary For Life- Second Sunday at 9:45 am in the chapel
Rosary Society- Meets the first Thursday of every month at 12:30 pm
 
-Prayers of Praise and Gratitude-
"When evangelizers rise from prayer, their hearts are more open; freed of self-absorption, they are desirous of doing good and sharing their lives with others"- Pope Francis

Do you want to praise and thank God more? Try reading one Psalm a day or start a gratitude journal to record all the beautiful ways that God is working in your life. 

-Intercessory Prayer-
"No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me." -Charles Spurgeon

One idea of intercessory prayer is to use novenas as a prayer tool to pray on behalf of someone who is struggling with their relationship with Jesus. A few saints that would be honored to help support your prayers are Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Juan Diego, St. Daniel Comboni, and St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

-Lectio Divina-
"As we become more and more familiar with the life of Christ and the fingerprints of God in both the Old and New Testaments, it becomes easier to share his Word, his heart, and his message with others."

St. Bart's Bible Study- Thursdays at 6:30 pm and Fridays at 8:30 am

Copies of Nudging Conversions can be found at the information desk 
Catholicism: The New Evangelization 
Reflection Questions

1.) One cannot give what one does not have. What steps can you take to better understand the Good News?

2.) What challenges do you face when evangelizing? Pray for Jesus' help in overcoming those challenges. 

3.) Create a list of those people you know who are fallen away, lukewarm, or de-Christianized Catholics and pray about what your role might be in evangelizing them.
Why Your Story Matters 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Have you ever taken the time to reflect on your personal faith journey and what it was like to meet Jesus for the first time? In order to share with others who Jesus is and why being Catholic is important to you, it might be worth asking yourself a few reflective questions. Many Christians have what is called a testimony of faith, which is simply their faith story. A testimony consists of three main points. 

1.) What was your life like before you met Jesus
2.) How did you meet Jesus/how was your heart changed
3.) Describe how your life has been different since meeting Jesus  


Below is a short video from Father Mike Schmitz about why YOUR story matters.
After you watch the video, you might want to find a few trusted Catholic friends to practice sharing your story with and ask for feedback. It is my prayer that you own your story, the good and the bad, and be proud and thankful that God has removed your heart of stone and given you a heart of flesh. I also pray that God gives you the courage to speak the truth to others for His glory. Amen.

Motivation To Share The Faith 


Witness 
How I was evangelized in a restroom! 
By Graeme Braithwaite

Twenty years ago, on a Sunday, I was attending a wedding reception at the Botanical Garden in Des Moines, IA. Another event going on there that day was some type of Christian worship service. I took a break to go to the restroom, and upon entering I heard a little girl singing in the stall, "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so!" I enjoyed the singing from my stall, but the girl left hers, realized she wasn't alone, and stopped singing. When I emerged from my stall and met her at the sinks I said to her, "You sing very beautifully. Are you having a good day?" A huge smile appeared on her face and she said with great joy, "Oh I am having a really good day because today is Sunday, and I wish every day was Sunday, because if it was I would get to go to church every day!"

The girl returned to her worship and I returned to my reception. The joy I had listening to her sing fell away and was replaced by deep sorrow. I realized I hadn't been to church in over ten years, except for Christmas and Easter, and here was this small child who wanted to go every day. I told myself then and there that I needed to get my butt back to church.

So my sorrow turned into action. I returned to church, went to confession, and even got involved with a small Bible study group. I learned from the Bible that Jesus does love me and this was just the beginning. My conversion continued with a deep hunger to engage in and learn more about my faith, and to this day that hunger is still strong. All because I met a young evangelist who spoke to me in song and with joy, in a bathroom on a Sunday, and who was, as the concluding rite says, just glorifying the Lord by her life.
QUICK LINKS