January 2009 GLEANINGS Theme Article
Finding Hope in the Time of Fear
by Jim Dagnon
As we begin 2009, many in our nation are gripped by fear
about the economy. We are bombarded by spin and fear from the media and
politicians. Our own Catholic faith seems to be under constant attack, as does
the right to life. God has placed you
and
me precisely in this time and place to do His work. It is in times like these
that we are called to give a witness to His promise of a future full of hope.
The world needs to see a people of hope.
It was in search of hope that a number of us from WWCCR
headed to the National Catholic Charismatic Leaders’ Conference in Nashville, TN
this past November. The Conference theme of "A Future Full of Hope"
couldn’t have been timelier! With Jim Murphy and Tom Curran as two of the
keynote speakers we felt right at home. We came back feeling that what we heard
there was a confirmation that the WWCCR Vision and Mission are exactly what we
need to pursue in these challenging times.
Jim Murphy’s teaching emphasized that leaders need to
communicate vision, for "without a vision, people perish." (cf Proverbs 29:18)
Vision transmits hope! He said, "Hope is what the heart needs to survive. In
desperate times people give up hope." Jim defined hope as "long term faith."
Hope sustains us, it’s what keeps us going! With hope it is amazing how much
people can endure.
We who serve the Church through Charismatic Renewal are
called to help people experience the hope found only in God. It is the "love of
God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit" that gives us hope! (Romans 5:5)
That hope comes through experiencing baptism in the Holy Spirit.
And how do we help people experience this hope? We already
know how to do it! Jim Murphy reminded us by giving us a three-step plan of how
to bring hope to the human race.
1. Proclaim Hope Proclaim the truth that right
here, right now, in the midst of suffering humanity, the Kingdom of God is
at hand. Proclaim the unique truth of who Jesus is and offer the world a
future full of hope - that they too can be transformed by the power of the
Spirit, by the great love of God. And we need to practice what we preach.
Our message, our character, and our lifestyle – these three things have to
line up if we’re going to give a good message of hope. When word, character
and action line up then we have an irrefutable witness.
2. Help people overcome obstacles to a personal
relationship with Jesus Although we proclaim the truth, some people
aren’t capable of receiving the message because of their brokenness. Many
times people have to be loved into the Kingdom of God before they can fully
embrace the philosophical message of the Kingdom of God. A lot of our coming
to God happens in the context of relationship. So we need to help people
overcome obstacles by building loving relationships and offering
opportunities for them to experience the healing touch of Jesus.
3. Sustain those who choose Jesus Once people are
walking with God we’ve got to help them walk and mature and be strong in the
Lord. That takes a lifetime of pastoring and nurturing and caring.
All of the current activities of WWCCR support those three
steps. As WWCCR works to accomplish its bold mission, Renewing the Face of
the Earth Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we do it in two ways: through
the life of the individual believer and the common action of believers working
together through the Catholic Church.
Pope John Paul II said "we shall not be saved by a formula
[or plan] but by a Person, and the assurance which he gives us: I am with
you! (Novo
Millennio Ineunte, 29)"
That
Person is Jesus. Tom Curran talked about the anchor as the symbol of hope. An
anchor is for stability in stormy seas. Our hope is in the Lord and our
confidence is in what we expect to experience in the future because of our
relationship with Him. When we set our heart on the Lord, we will find strength,
stability and vision. Renewal begins from the inside out.
We were reminded that we live in prophetic times - we live in
times where there is a lot of confusion. It is past time to stand up and
boldly proclaim a message of hope! It is the time to proclaim that the Kingdom
of God is at hand. This is a new way of life. People must see the joy that this
new life brings. They must see Jesus within us. People should come away from
every encounter with us knowing that they have met a true Catholic Christian.
People who take God seriously will not remain silent about
their faith. Like it or not, American Catholics are parts of a struggle over our
nation’s identity and future. We Christians are in the world but not
of the world. We belong to God and our home is heaven. But we are here for a
reason – in the name of Jesus and for the sake of the world, our
work is to change the world. If we don’t do it, nobody will do it for us.
At the opening Mass, Bishop David Choby, the Bishop of
Nashville, told us that the bishops of our country are united to fight against
any expansion of abortion rights and the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). Francis
Cardinal George, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, described the FOCA as "an evil law that would further divide the
country." The Bishops are standing up in the pursuit of justice and the common
good. We are proud of our Bishops and of this statement which serves as a beacon
of light in the darkness. (To read this statement
Click Here)
It is tempting to think that society is too far gone, that
our problems are too complex for any of us to make a difference. But even one
person can always make a difference – if that person believes in Jesus Christ
and seeks to do His will. We need to preserve the faith in our hearts and live
it fully with our lives. This is our part. God will do the rest.
As we look forward, we are not to be afraid but filled with
hope. Remember in the Bible when Moses sent the twelve scouts into the Promised
Land (Numbers 13:1-33). The scouts returned in fear of the "veritable giants"
and fierce people they saw. The people revolted, and as a result, Moses was
never to enter the Promised Land. The Israelites in their fear longed for the
life they once had back in Egypt instead of looking to the land God promised
them. At the Leaders Conference we were urged to look forward, not back. It is
time for the Renewal to follow Joshua to the Promised Land. Those of us involved
in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal are urged not to look back to the Renewal as
we have known it in the past, but to the Renewal of 2009 and beyond, to the new
vision for the Renewal that God is calling us to.
Michelle Moran, President of ICCRS, encouraged us to pray,
"Holy Spirit, I need you to empower me for the mission of today. Holy
Spirit, I need you to empower this Charismatic Renewal for what you’re calling
us to today." Yesterday served us well. Yesterday was vital but we look
forward to the future with hope and confidence. And we take courage from the
word from Joshua 1:9:
"Be strong and stand firm!
Be fearless, be confident.
Go where you will because the Lord,
our God, is with you."
Come go with us to that land where Joshua is leading us.
Amen!
Jim Dagnon is the WWCCR Board President and is the
coordinator for the School of Healing Prayer that is being presented by WWCCR.
He has been involved in Catholic Charismatic Renewal since 1975. He is one of
the leaders of the St. Francis Prayer Community in his parish in Eastsound, WA.
