Obviously the Pharisees are alive and well in 2008. If they have seen figures like Mother Theresa, who established Sisters of Charity and worked who fingers to the bone, in the name of God's love, and Mel Gibson, who's love of God inspired the Passion of Christ movie, and Pope John Paul, who although he lived under the constant threat of death, worked to free people from communism, just to name a few, and still think we are somehow evil; then there is nothing we can say on FreeRepublic to explain ourselves here.
So the question is, how can we do a better job at helping the "tepid souls" in this crazy world we live with their formation. Sometimes we do take our faith for granted. The more I see the actions of some of these supposedly Godly posters, the more I realize how blessed we are. I have seen Emmaus retreats fill people with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps promoting those retreats? Someone mentioned the Come Holy Spirit prayer. Any other ideas?
Join the Knights of Columbus....if you’re male.
In my early preaching days, I came to learn that a sermon that "worked" (as far as one can know that) was one that cost me a couple of layers of stomach lining and that made me want, the minute I was done, to walk out of the pulpit and to the nearest train station and buy a one-way ticket to the antipodes. Those were the ones that invariably got the most ebullient "thank you"s and so forth.
I now think God was saying, "YOU don't preach sermons, I preach sermons, using your mouth, sometimes," and/or "My strength is sufficient for you."
The connection? Um, this: God has an apostolate for every, individual one of us. IF and AS we take up the work of discernment and then sacrificial obedience to His call, He prospers the work of our hands (or mouf, as the case may be).
Yes, it SEEMS that a congregation on fire would be a wonderful thing. But He graciously does all things for each one of us, and what He cannot amend, He can and does redeem. So we ought not to despair when a congregation seems moribund. Maybe it is just especially rich manure heaped up around one rose which has yet to blossom! But when it does ....AH!
As I like to say, "Compost Happens!"
In this degenerate age, we don't even know what the cardinal virtues are, so we don't pray for them. In addition to the divine gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love, we should pray also for courage, fairness, prudence and temperance in our obedience to our Divine call. And we should enter, endure, and let go of our work as all done for Him.
One of the gifts of my little community, mostly elderly ladies, has given me, is an opportunity to let go all the time, to let go of the work I did yesterday or five minutes ago or the work I am doing now as I write to you. God can prosper it, and if He doesn't build the city ... fuhgeddaboudit!
SO, in sum, pray for your apostolate and for the gifts you need to accomplish it. And commend your work to our loving Lord (and it wouldn't hurt -- heh heh - to offer it under the patronage of our blessed Mother). When it's His time, the Spirit will ignite.
One of the best things that ever was said to me was when I was on retreat before my (attempted) ordination to the PepsiCola priesthood. An Episcopal nun told me, "It's not your priesthood. Don't forget that. It's God's, and it's your job to give it to Him minute by minute." (or words to that effect.)
So YOU live on fire. It'll spread.
I feel like a fool writing this. It may not be good, but it's what I have.