Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

CALLING ALL DIRECTORS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND CATECHISTS! This one’s for you. Dave “Cucumber Melon” VanVickle and I talk about the qualities that make for bad catechists vs. great catechists and how to find the right people for your program. This is a huge issue for religious education that is so important because the immortal souls of kids depends on it. We also have storytime with Dave on why Kenny Baldwin is A MONSTER (just kidding) and extend an extra-special welcome to long-time listener Ralph “The Party” VanVickle! We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave. SHOWNOTES What makes a good catechist? You have a mature spiritual life with daily prayer and a mentality of fides quaerens intellectum or "faith seeking understanding". You have an answer to this question: “Can you tell me about your daily lived relationship with the Lord?” You prioritize the truths of the Faith and always tie them to the Person of Christ. In the classroom, you make sure any craft or art project is truly effective and relevant to the lesson. You understand that you are making a difference to the immortal souls of your students. You have a DRE who is responsible for ongoing formation of catechists. What makes a bad catechist? Unprepared, you haven’t read it or prayed about it. You don’t know your kids’ names. You never pray for them. You don’t quote the Bible. You never share your story of God’s movement in your life. You don’t think about conversion, only communicating the doctrine. You don’t see the whole and how it is all interrelated to Christ and the Trinity. Prayer is nothing but a bookend to your class. How to find good catechists Start a Bible study or adult faith formation event (or go to one that already exists) and see who shows up consistently and is serious about growing in their faith. Invite specific people to be catechists. Don’t advertise to the whole church. You’re looking for people who are called, not guilted into it. Do a ministry fair where people can come and see what ministries your parish has. Pray and ask God for good catechists. Be comfortable letting people go. 5 PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS Personal Prayer Time: Ephesians 4:1-16 Memorize Catechesi Tradendae center of paragraph five. Handwrite each kids’ name and pray for one minute for each kid in your class this week. Prepare a lesson plan for one lesson on one topic and, keeping in mind good/bad catechist, write one sentence that ties it to Christ. Come up with one example from your life per lesson plan. RESOURCES AND EVENTS Dave’s School of Spiritual Warfare event in Akron, OH Catechesi Tradendae Chosen Confirmation Prep Program Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Biker for Christ” VanVickle and I are talking about Catholic schools again (because that worked out so well last time.) We received a lot of feedback from our episode on making Catholic schools evangelizing powerhouses, so we wanted to talk more about what teachers can actually do to be powerful witnesses for Christ. First we talk about hitchhiking for Christ (because that’s a thing) and then we get into some ways teachers can talk to students about the Faith and infuse it into everything they do in and out of the classroom. Snippet from the Show “One of the most powerful things we can offer kids is to replace the false labels that our culture imposes on them.” SHOWNOTES Tips to Evangelize Students Listen - Students want to be heard and tell their story. Show you’re willing to listen to their point of view and after you get to know them you can start asking the big questions about topics like eternity, purpose in life, spirituality, and Jesus. Affirm their true identity - Sarcasm is everywhere in high school, and the labels we affix to young students tend to become their identity. One of the most powerful things we can do is affirm their true identity as sons and daughters of God. Teach to convert, not just inform - Frame the lesson plans to form hearts as well as minds by making it Christocentric and tying everything back to the life of Jesus Christ. Give opportunities for encounter - There are opportunities in every subject for God to enter in through Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. Build community among teachers - What could be a more powerful witness than a group of teachers who actually love one another the way Christ loves them? 5 Practical Takeaways Read Catechesi Tradendae, paragraphs 1-5 Meditate on Jesus as teacher while looking at your favorite image of Jesus. Pick a Bible study and invite teachers to join with you. Think of a young person in your life and listen to their story. Intercede for Catholic school teachers as this school year begins. RESOURCES Gomer's FREE program, Don't Walk Alone Ascension's Bible studies Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Velvet Fog” Van Vickle and I dive into history, culture, and politics (oh my!). We talk about three types of culture—pre-Christian, Christian, and post-Christian—and what Catholics can do to navigate the current political climate and evangelize in the culture without getting swept up in it. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave. Snippet from the Show “When you get rid of religion, all you have left is politics, and so politics becomes religion.” SHOWNOTES Mark Sayer, evangelical pastor and social commentator - “Post-Christianity is one where the Christian project is continued, but forgetting its sources, a Kingdom without a King.” Sherry Weddell, Forming Intentional Disciples - “God has no grandchildren” Mark Sayer - “Every generation can forget God and every generation can remember Him.” St. Pope John Paul II, Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium - “One of the most important tasks that we all share is to remember what happened to the 20th century.” 5 Practical Tips Go people watching. Reflect upon this question in adoration: how has the culture colonized my mind/heart? Read an article or a news story from the Progressive Left to understand their point of view better. Look for “obvious signs of transformation” in your life or ministry. Pray for the conversion of our political candidates. Resources: Evangelii Nuntiandi Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Milk and Honey” VanVickle and I are talking about Catholic education, and the opportunities we have to evangelize in and out of the classroom. We love Catholic schools, but so many students who attend leave without any inclination to practice the Faith. Dave and I attempt to identify the root of this problem and talk about what leaders, teachers, and parents can do to evangelize their students and create lifelong disciples. Snippet from the Show “The greatest tendency of our Catholic schools is to teach faith like history—just another liberal arts thing to memorize facts, figures, and dates to get a good grade on the test.” Check out this episode and the shownotes (including the 5 Practical Tips and instructions on how to get Gomer's FREE program) at media.ascensionpress.comSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

So you’ve got the kerygma down … now what? Dave “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” VanVickle and I talk about how to mature in your faith after an initial proclamation of the gospel. The kerygma is not the end of evangelization, it’s just the beginning. It’s how someone takes the first step to becoming a disciple of Jesus, but we can’t stop there, we have to make sure that we’re preaching, but also teaching. Snippet from the Show “An initial proclamation of the kerygma is not enough. It is the doorway to faith, but once you cross that threshold, you are in the house of faith, and now you must conform your life to Christ.” SHOWNOTES Catechism of the Catholic Church, 89 - “There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.” Pope St. John Paul II in Catechesi Tradendae - “The Church has always considered catechesis as one of her primary tasks … very soon the name of catechesis was given to the whole of the efforts within the Church to make disciples, to help people to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, so that believing they might have life in His name, and to educate and instruct them in this life and thus build up the Body of Christ.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 89 - “The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ. ‘In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith.’ St. Teresa of Avila - “If you want to hear God speak to you, read scripture. If you want to see a miracle, receive the Eucharist.” St. John the Baptist - “Bear fruit that befits repentance” (Matthew 3:8). 5 Practical Tips Read the Catechism, paragraphs 74-95. Pick a dogma to enter into more deeply. Connect dogma to the kerygma. For your spiritual life, ask Jesus to be Lord of your life, ask where you need him to assert his lordship over you, and conform. Pray for the USCCB. Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Thunderclap” VanVickle and I are talking to the one and only Mark Hart—author, speaker, and Executive Vice President of Life Teen. We talk about the struggles parishes have to organize a movement of evangelization and the difficulty of training and empowering individuals to spread the gospel. Instead of just telling people to evangelize, Mark is on a mission to teach people to evangelize with a new program—The 99. Featuring Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Josh Johnson, Leah Darrow, Sr. Miriam James Heidland, and more, the program will help parishes start a movement of evangelization in their communities. See more at evangelization.com. Snippet from the Show - “The Church is an organized religion, but we’re painfully disorganized on a parish level.” SHOWNOTES Quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi - “Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary, use words.” Mark’s 4 Practical Tips As part of your morning prayer, ask the Lord for greater awareness of the people he’s putting in your path that day. Pray an examination of conscience at the end of the day (consider using Romans 12). Put your phone down more often to be present to those around you. Instead of texting someone, call them and leave a voicemail if you have to. One last tip from Gomer and Dave: Buy The 99!Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Too Hot to Handle, Too Cold to Hold” VanVickle and I are focusing on the role of the laity in the Church when it comes to explicit word and deed evangelization. The Church needs the voice of the laity to speak up! Priests can’t go into your office and nuns can’t go into your friend’s house (probably). We are the ones that must carry the Gospel into our homes, schools, jobs, and public places. Snippet from the Show “Catholics were attempting to be modest and self-critical instead of being triumphant … We went from being triumphant and engaging in apologetics to just being apologetic.” Check out the shownotes for today's episode at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbowSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Don’t Fear the Reaper” Van Vickle and I are talking about how to keep Jesus at the heart of your ministry and your life. Today’s totally made up middle name for Dave is brought to you by listener Lina., who also asks the questions that we are answering in this show - thank you Lina! We’re talking about the vine, the branches, and the backyard … (Dave bought a new house). We start with how to open your home to engage the culture and build community and then get to a question from Lina who asks, “What are the practical steps to stay grafted onto the vine when you’ve been sent to work out in the vineyard?” In other words, how do we keep Jesus as the defining characteristic of our life when we feel called to go off and do great things on our own or within our parish? Snippet from the Show “The presence of suffering and persecution is the way that God makes you better, stronger, and woven even tighter with Christ the vine.” Check out the shownotes for today's episode at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbowSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

We want people to convert to the Catholic Church not because it’s a popular thing to do, but because they have a genuine experience of God’s love and truth through the Church. This means we can’t water down the gospel. Dave “Lay Assistant to Exorcists” VanVickle and I talk about this vital aspect of winning hearts for Christ, as well as the importance of repentance. On a practical note, we also talk about how to start intercessory prayer groups. Check out today's shownotes at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbowSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave VanVickle (that’s right, no nickname today) and I are waking the dead! We’re talking about how to really reach people through evangelization. Not just a short moment of emotional connection that fades the next day, but a true conversion where a person reorients their life to God. Snippet from the Show “Taking someone’s heart of stone to a heart of flesh is a supernatural act. You are making them alive in Christ Jesus. That is a bigger miracle than resurrecting a deceased corpse to natural life.” Check out the shownotes at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbowSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)