NOTE: Christ in Our Neighborhood is a parish-based program consisting of small Christian communities that gather in the home weekly to prayerfully discuss the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. It’s easy to form a community and you can find out more at Christ in Our Neighborhood – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix (dphx.org)
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The question the Christ in Our Neighborhood reflection asks us is: How do you see yourself as a missionary for God’s Kingdom?
Years ago, people had the sense that being a missionary was only for those who had been called to life as a priest or a religious sister or brother. Pope St. Paul VI spelled it out clearly in his encyclical Evangelii Nuntiandi: “Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into the community of salvation can and must communicate and spread it (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #13).”
Pope Francis also emphasized the importance of going out and spreading the Good News in Evangelii Gaudiam: “The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization (Evangelii Gaudium #14).”
If you’ve been baptized and confirmed, you’ve been commissioned to share the Good News. Serving others and spreading the love of God are integral to the Christian life. Wherever you are and wherever you serve, you are the face, hands and voice of Christ.
If you haven’t joined a Christ in Our Neighborhood small group yet, perhaps you are being called to start one yourself. Check out our website today to find out more: dphx.org/Christ-in-our-neighborhood.
Watch the video of the weekly podcast segment featuring Christ in Our Neighborhood with Bishop Dolan by clicking HERE.
To sign up for our weekly Christ in Our Neighborhood newsletter that has everything you need for your next meeting, visit: https://phoenixdiocese.flocknote.com/CION
