Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

You’ve got frequently asked questions, we’ve got infrequently given answers. We tackle questions about what to do when you encounter someone purchasing the Plan B pill, what to do when people (especially family members) give dumb reasons for why they don’t go to church, the role of Mary in evangelization, and talking to family members about having a sacramental wedding when they’re angry with the Church and you’re long distance. (Whew.) 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 “We so desire the conversion of our friends and relatives and neighbors that we feel disappointed when the outcomes haven’t happened. But the success is in the evangelizing. The conversion is up to Jesus. One sows the seed, the other waters, God alone gives the growth.”_ Check out the show on ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbow to browse the resources from the show.Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

We’re talking to the one and only Jeff Cavins, Catholic speaker and author of the new book, The Activated Disciple. We’re pumped to interview him about discipleship and sharing the Faith (and so are our moms). Jeff’s book really gets to the heart of discipleship. It gives us a practical roadmap to a path of discipleship and explains what it actually means to be a disciple. We also get Jeff to give us his practical tips for evangelization. You can get Jeff's book at ascensionpress.com. 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 “There’s a difference between having a branch named Jesus on your vine vs. realizing that you are a branch on the true vine that is Christ.”_Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

The New Evangelization invites baptized Catholics to renew their relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church (according to the USCCB). Started by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI, it’s a call for the Church (aka, you and me) to reach out to fallen away Catholics and bring them back to the sacraments. We want to talk about how to bring this movement to your parish and community. Starting with Carole Brown’s Gems for the New Evangelization: Shamelessly Pilfered from Various Treasuries of Church Teaching, we then add some additional points that we’ve discovered along the way. There are a lot of different things you can do, but the important thing is to start. Snippet from the Show “My favorite thing is to take every part of the Catechism and tie it back to the Cross and resurrection, because you can do it with everything.” 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 The Five Points for the New Evangelization Recover the importance of kerygmatic proclamation. Build explicitly Christ-centered witness testimony into everything. Talk in the explicitly evangelical language of the New Evangelization popes. Saturate yourself in the world of God (Bible studies, lectio divina training…) Establish a permanent discipleship track in the parish. Dave and Mike’s added points for parish evangelization Establish a formalized intercessory prayer group to bring about conversions. You can’t do it alone. Start with the programs that people must attend, to draw in people who might not be involved otherwise. Start trying to meet everyone at your parish and learn their names. The Five Practical Takeaways Read paragraphs 1- 21 of the Catechesi Tradendae by Pope John Paul II. Consider joining or starting a Bible study at your parish. Begin a conversation with the pastor, DRE, or director of religious evangelization about evangelization at the parish. Look for touchstone moments (baptism class, marriage prep class) and how you can be a volunteer in those ministries. Buy a Catholic Bible for someone who doesn’t have one in your life. Resources Mentioned in the Show Michael Gormley – Radical Communities Bible Studies from Ascension Press The Great Adventure Timeline Catholic Bible Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

We tackle the biggest, most complicated, stickiest moral issues–contraception and same-sex attraction. How is a Catholic evangelist to approach such a minefield when proclaiming the gospel? In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So we know that we have to tell people about moral issues, but we need to make sure we’re doing it in a way that actually helps. We talk about when, how, and why to bring these issues up, and examples of times these strategies have actually worked (we promise we’re not using you as guinea pigs). 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 Holiness and happiness are coterminous in God. Me seeking my own happiness is what God made holiness to be–seeking union with him forever in Christ Jesus.Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Mike and Dave give practical advice about how to get over that awkward feeling and share the Faith BOLDLY. Telling someone the good news about Jesus isn’t hard ... if you really, truly believe it. You’re not imposing your arbitrary morality and spirituality on someone, you are proposing to them the truth of God’s love for them and their elevated status as creatures made in the image and likeness of God. Like Mike says, “If you discovered the cure to cancer, and you kept it to yourself–you would be a monster ...We have even greater news, but so often we keep it quiet.” Mike also gives solid advice to a listener who asks about how to talk to her husband, who is a Muslim, about Christianity. Check out the shownotes at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbow to see practical tips on how to be BOLD when you share the Faith.Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Mike and Dave answer your questions about how to get programs going at your parish, how to share the gospel with fallen-away family members, and how to invest in Catholic evangelism as well as catechesis when funds are short. Snippet from the Show “You have a mission as a layperson ... To not proclaim Jesus Christ and just wait for a priest to do it is a fundamental corruption to your baptismal dignity. Christ is inviting you on this mission. You don’t need anyone else’s permission.” Listener Questions: “My priest isn’t into evangelization, what do I do?” “I have three children, none are truly evangelized, except my oldest daughter who is now evangelical, but ‘at least she has Jesus.’” “I am a DRE who got caught up in the catechesis game. I now want to invest in evangelism, but am at a poor parish.” Resources mentioned: Christifideles Laici, Chapter 3 The Great Adventure Bible Studies No Greater Love by Edward Sri The Life of Christ by Rev. Fulton Sheen To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed Radical Communities by Michael Gormley Redeemer of Man by Pope St. John Paul II Catechesi Tradendae, 19-20 5 Practical Tips: Kerygma: Refresh yourself on what the kerygma is and isn’t. Community: Meet up for Eucharistic Adoration and drinks. Reading: Jesus Shock by Peter Kreeft. Intercession: Pray a decade of the Rosary every day for clergy who need conversion. Lent: Don’t let Lent pass you by, be intentional! Prayerfully consider what God wants from you this Lent. Take an hour and figure it out. Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Discover the nuanced dance of being in the world but not of it. Explore the tension between Christ against culture and Christ of culture, and learn how to navigate this in daily life. Get practical tips on spiritual reflection, community engagement, and the importance of public acts of faith. Delve into how personal virtue and a robust engagement with culture can revitalize evangelization. Embrace the call to show a distinctly Christ-like difference in your daily interactions.

Spiritual warfare is more than just an analogy. It is a reality. Quite literally, it is a struggle between two kingdoms—a battle between man and that which draws man away from God. This fighting and resisting evil is a common experience, yet many don’t believe they are at war. Therefore they come unprepared to fight the battle. Today Mike and Dave approach this topic from the viewpoint of evangelists. They discuss the Church Fathers’ understanding of spiritual warfare, the context behind the Church’s teachings on the subject, and practical ways you can resist evil and equip yourself with the best possible resources. Snippet from the Show “This is a battle. This isn’t an analogy, it’s not an allegory … We are actually at war.” Two mistakes we assume about spiritual warfare: 1) Looking at it as a personal faith issue, that the victory comes from you. 2) That this is just a small part of the Faith. Resources mentioned in the show Gaudium et Spes 1 Peter 8 Anima Christi 5 Practical Tips: 1) Pray the St. Michael the Archangel prayer 2) Rekindle your relationship with your guardian angel 3) Read about St. Joseph terror of demons 4) Read Colossians 1-2 5) Do a Marian consecration. There are many different forms.Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Do you want to evangelize in a post-Christian society? There are a few things you need to know. We all proclaim the same gospel, but we all need to use different methods. The methods that St. Paul used in Athens or Rome and the approach of a missionary in India, Southeast Asia, or parts of Africa will be different than someone who lives in a post-Christian society. There are, however, universal principles that stand the test of time. Today, Mike and David go through three ages of evangelization, explain how to overcome four hurdles in evangelizing, and also three different types of evangelizing. Snippet from the Show: “No matter how opposed someone is to Christianity, you have to understand that deep down, it is what they want. It is what they most desire. It is the answer to all their questions.” SHOWNOTES: *5 Practical Takeaways: * 1) Read Evangelii Nuntiandi 2) Fast for someone at your parish 3) Pray and reflect on St. Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit 4) Read 2 Timothy 4 5) Write down and reflect on this quote “She exists in order to evangelize.” What parts of your life exemplify this? What parts do not? Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Gaudium et spes Evangelii nuntiandi (Paragraph 9 and 80) Redemptoris Missio Podcast, This Cultural Moment Introduction to Philosophy by Daniel SullivanSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Church teaching is an important part of our Catholic Faith. Today, Mike and Dave are going to show you how to incorporate the church into the kerygma. They explain how fellowship is not socializing and why the Church comes before the individual in the plan of God. “Our love for Jesus and for our neighbor impels us to speak to others about our faith. Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my faith I help support others in the faith.” (CCC 166) Snippet from the Show: You have not given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. The believer has received faith from others and should hand it on to others. (CCC 166) 5 Practical Tips 1) Meet someone at your parish that you have never met before. It can be as simple as introducing yourself. 2) Read 2Timothy 2. 3) Read CCC 176-184. 4) Pray for the staff of your parish all week long. 5) Look at the four steps of the kerygma below and compare them to your personal testimony. (You can also go to the shownotes on at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbow.) Pencil in what parts of your testimony line up with the kerygma. This will help you make the kerygma center stage of your testimony and not your personal story. 4 Steps of the Kerygma: 1) God has a plan for your life. 2) Sin interrupts that plan and separates you from God. 3) Jesus Christ died and rose so that you could be forgiven of these sins and be united to God in heaven. 4) Through faith and his Church, you can be united to God forever. Recommendations 1) Fr. Spitzer’s book New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy 2) Rev. Timothy Keller’s book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism 3) C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity 4) Dr. Peter Kreeft’s book Fundamentals of the Faith: Essays in Christian Apologetics CCC #166Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)