Disciples Serve
Goal
- Understand the biblical roots and explicit nature of the Church to serve.
- Demonstrate that a thriving family of parishes must carry the love and grace of the Eucharist out into the world, being present, showing compassion, and standing for life and dignity.
- Describe the spirituality of service and how it forms us as disciples while witnessing to the love of Christ and His church. Understand how disciples who serve also are good stewards who share their faith.
- Guide participants to reflect on their own acts of charity and service and vision how they contribute to the culture of discipleship in their parish family.
- Name the collective ministries of mercy and justice and explore their intimate connection to each other and the culture of the family.
To facilitate this session:
- Print off the necessary number of handouts ahead of time
- Play the video below for your group, pausing when the video indicates, to share the appropriate handout and/or work with one another.
Lectio
Luke 10:25-37
10 Minutes
Read through together. Write your thoughts on the handout. Share at tables.
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Discussion
Rooting our Lives in Scripture
10 Minutes
Reflect: on one (or more) of the following scriptures with partners and consider how these scripture passages challenge you to better live out your faith:
- How does this call us to encounter?
- How is this a call to advocate for justice?
- How does this call us to evangelize?
Leviticus 9:9-10, 33-34
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the Lord, am your God.
When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the Lord, am your God.
Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
James 2:1-6a
My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor person.
James 2:14-22, 24, 26
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.
See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Resources
The Call to Serve
25 Minutes
In addition to these and many other scriptures, there are myriad ways God speaks to us and guides to serve.
We invite you to consider a few other resources before moving on to the final part of this session.
The One Thing Connecting All of Catholic Social Teaching
How Helping Others Changes Us
Papal Teachings
If our Eucharistic worship is authentic, it must make us grow in awareness of the dignity of each person. The awareness of that dignity becomes the deepest motive of our relationship with our neighbor. We must also become particularly sensitive to all human suffering and misery, to all injustice and wrong, and seek the way to redress them effectively.
Saint Pope John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae #6, 1980
The relationship between the eucharistic mystery and social commitment must be made explicit. The Eucharist is the sacrament of communion between brothers and sisters who allow themselves to be reconciled in Christ… The recognition of this fact leads to a determination to transform unjust structures and to restore respect for the dignity of all men and women, created in God’s image and likeness. Through the concrete fulfilment of this responsibility, the Eucharist becomes in life what it signifies in its celebration.
Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis #89, 2007
The celebration of the Eucharist thus becomes a constant summons for everyone “to examine himself or herself ” (1 Cor 11:28), to open the doors of the family to greater fellowship with the underprivileged, and in this way to receive the sacrament of that eucharistic love which makes us one body… When those who receive it turn a blind eye to the poor and suffering, or consent to various forms of division, contempt and inequality, the Eucharist is received unworthily. On the other hand, families who are properly disposed and receive the Eucharist regularly, reinforce their desire for fraternity, their social consciousness and their commitment to those in need.
Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia #186, 2016
Ministry Chart
Reflect and talk with a partner: about how you’re currently meeting this call to serve and how you’re now called to evolve and increase your Love in Action.
The chart below, with examples of how a current ministry might grow in discipleship, may be helpful in your consideration and discussion.
| Ministry | Charity | Encounter | Justice | Evangelize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soup kitchen | Donate food | Attend and distribute food | Meet with and build relationship with clients | Through the relationship, invite to join at mass |
| Pregnancy Care Center | Donate diapers, bottles | Volunteer with the PCC | Understand the legislation threatening the sanctity of life and advocate | Walk with women in need, showing how your love of God calls you to love others |
| Catholic Charities | Donate money | Attend a formation session on the Refugee Resettlement program | Learn about ways our immigration system is broken and demand changes that honor dignity | Join a Welcome Circle team that connects with a refugee family and supports their transition |
These are simply examples of programs viewed through this lens. You are encouraged to consider ministries that exist within your parish or family of parishes and how these ministries might evolve and grow.
Being A Living Example of ChrisT
5 Minutes
So as we can see, being disciples means that we must bring the grace and mercy of the eucharist with us out into the world, letting it and the Holy Spirit guide our every thought, word, and action. The beautiful, miraculous thing about it is that not only are we going out to BE Christ in the world, but when we serve we are finding and experiencing Christ in the world. And every time we encounter Christ, we are further formed as disciples, enriched and brought closer to what it means to be fully human, or – to put it another way – to be more Christ-like. Of course, being more Christ-like is one key way we are stewards of our faith and how we are embracing our call to be evangelists, seeking to make disciples of all people.
Conclusion
Closing Prayer
5 Minutes
We invite you to now take a few minutes to pray for hearts and communities that are filled by the love of God and bring that love into the world. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and help you to be disciples of Christ committed to invitation, stewardship, and service.
Loving God, move us to love in concrete ways As we seek a better future for all of your children. Open our eyes to the values of social teaching of the Church; give us the energy and the courage to reject fatalism.
Grant that we may be guided by Catholic Social Teaching So we may be a part of creating The systems and structures of grace That will allow all human life to flourish.
Nurture hope in our hearts, guide us forward And give us a sustaining vision Of a renewed human community In a renewed Creation.
Amen
Additional Resources
- Dig deeper into Catholic Social Teaching (CST)
- Discover more of the scriptural roots for CST
- Additional resources from the USCCB
- Read this article connecting our increased dedication to church to our service
- Look for advocacy and engagement opportunities
- Consider engaging yourself and your community in the political process USCCB: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and iVoteCatholic.org.
- Watch videos about CST and faithful citizenship
- Explore the meaning and breadth of the Love in Action (LiA) principle
- Complete the LiA inventory on your family of parishes’ important work
- Check out the Nov. 8, 2022 Beacons Roundtable resource on LiA, as well as the Phase 1 resources and the Phase 2 resources
- Connect with the LiA team (point person is Mary Anne Bressler, [email protected]) to schedule your Family’s LiA retreat. You can see more about this retreat here: www.catholicaoc.org/saltandlight
- Work with your pastor and dean to host a regional LiA visioning session, title “Building Communities of Salt & Light”
Overview
10
Prayer
Lectio Acts 2:42-47
15
Discussion: Rooting Our Lives in Scripture
Reflecting on scripture
25
Resources: The Call to Serve
Video: The One Thing Connecting all of Catholic Social Teaching
Video: How Helping Others Changes Us
Papal Teachings
Ministry Chart
5
Being A Living Example of Christ
Being Christ in the world
5
Conclusion & Closing Prayer
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be disciples
Disciples Witness
1 Hour
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Learn More
An overview of Evangelization as individuals and as a Family of Parishes. Focusing on pre-evangelization, the session would share how calling others to the faith starts with a personal witness through friendship, listening, and accompaniment. This in turn further forms us as disciples who are good stewards and servants of others.
Disciples Steward
1 Hour
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Learn More
An overview of Stewardship as individuals and as a Family of Parishes. Understanding that good stewardship is both an expression of discipleship and also forms us as disciples who share their faith and serve others.
Disciples Serve
1 Hour
|
Learn More
An overview of the spirituality of service and how Love in Action forms us as disciples while witnessing to the love of Christ and his church, especially the poor and marginalized. Understanding how disciples who serve are also good stewards living out and sharing their faith.
