CHAPTER 8

Chapter 8
Discipleship
and Holiness
through
Ongoing
Conversion
Relationship with the Lord
Old Testament New Testament

Slave or Servant Friend

Carry out master’s command “You are my friends if you do as I

command.”
“A slave does not know what his master is “I have chosen you and appointed you.”
doing.”
Path is prescribed Find your path through discernment

Conforming to Christ
Discernment
A decision-making process
that attends to the
implications and
consequences of an action or
choice by prayerfully and
meditatively separating out
what is truly good from what
only appears to be good but
is in fact a lie and a
temptation.
Vocation
A word that means “call.” God
calls all persons to be holy and
to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
You begin to answer this call by
conversion and receiving the
sacraments of initiation, and you
live it out by bringing God’s love
to others, sharing the Gospel,
and seeking the Kingdom of God
in everything you do. Lay
vocations are callings to serve
God in the world, and priestly
and religious vocations are
callings to serve God in the
Church. Each person is given a
unique vocation by which he or
she receives a share in Christ’s
mission of salvation, given to
him by the Father.
Conforming to Christ
Love: the Greatest Commandment
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind. is is the
greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love
your neighbor as yourself. The whole
law and the prophets depend on
these two commandments.” (Mt
22:37–40)

Conforming to Christ
How Can Discipleship Equal Love?
• By converting your heart and life and forming a good conscience
• By worshipping and loving God as Jesus taught
• By living a sacramental life and a life of prayer
• By putting Jesus’ oral and spiritual teaching into practice
• By serving the poor and marginalized
• By taking part in the mission of evangelization
• By fulfilling your responsibility for stewardship

Conforming to Christ
Become like Christ
• Love God
• Love your friends
• Love your enemies
• Take care of those in need

Conforming to Christ
CONVERSION: A radical
reorientation away from
sin, evil, and selfishness SELF
and toward God and
service to others. This
change of heart is a
central element of Christ’s
preaching, of the Church’s
ministry of evangelization,
OTHERS
and of the Sacrament of
Penance and
Reconciliation.

Conversion and Spiritual Growth

How to Form a Good Conscience
• Read Sacred Scripture and follow
Sacred Tradition of the Church.
• Pray or consult a spiritual mentor.

How Do You Recognize a Poorly Formed Conscience?

• It listens to attitudes such as sexism and racism
• It uses emotional or physical violence to solve problems
• It pursues financial success at all cost

Conversion and Spiritual Growth

 Rationalizing Reasoning
• Rationalizing: using lesser values to talk yourself into thinking an
action is right even though your conscience tells you it is wrong .

• Reasoning: Human reason is the God-given power by which you can

know God and the natural law written on your heart.

Conversion and Spiritual Growth

 Natural Law is the light of
understanding that God
put in you so that you can
discover what I good and
what is evil.

Well- Human
Free Will
Formed Reasoning
Conscience
Free will is the capacity Human reason is the
to choose among God-given power by
alternatives. It is an which you can know
important partner to God and the natural
human reason. law written on your
heart.
Conversion and Spiritual Growth
 Journal
Reflection
Write a prayer of
discernment asking
God to help you to
form a good
conscience.
Theological Virtues
Faith, Hope, and Charity

• A firm, stable, and habitual

disposition of your intellect and
will that regulates your actions,
directs your passions, and
guides your conduct according
to reason and faith.

Called to Virtue and Holiness

Pray: You can ask the Lord to make your faith stronger.
Read Scripture: Reading, studying, and praying with the Bible brings you closer to God and his Word.
Celebrate the sacraments: The sacraments themselves celebrate the mysteries of your faith.
Study your faith: Deepening your understanding is a lifelong process. Learn more about creeds of faith.
Draw on the faith of friends: Choose friends who share your commitment to God and the Church.
Put your faith into action: Keep your faith alive by being Christ for others.

Called to Virtue and Holiness

• Hope keeps you from
discouragement.
• Hope sustains you
when you feel
abandoned.
• Hope opens your heart
to expect happiness in
eternal life.
• Hope preserves you
from selfishness.
• Hope leads you to the
happiness that flows
from love.

Called to Virtue and Holiness

• Obedience. Jesus’ will was perfectly attuned to his Father’s. Love means
obeying Jesus’ commands.
• Reverence. Love involves respecting and valuing the absolute goodness of God
and the goodness of other people made in his image and likeness.
• Sacrifice. Love requires commitment: walking the extra mile and never giving
up on God, other people, or oneself. Spiritual disciplines like fasting, prayer,
and sharing with the poor increase love in your heart.
Called to Virtue and Holiness
7 Steps to 7. Pray and participate in the sacraments

Holiness 6. Love God, and love your neighbor

5. Remain aware of the Father’s presence

4. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you

3. Accept sacrifice

2. Make time and space for interior

reflection and self-examination

1. Follow Jesus, your model

Called to Virtue and Holiness

 “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.”
Actions
• Smile a lot to share your Christian joy
• Love for the sake of others
• Keep Sundays holy
• Read Catholic literature
• Walk with people in their suffering
• Send cards to the sick and bereaved
• Visit someone who is lonely
• Buy religious items as gifts for
birthday/holiday
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Words
• Say “thank you”
• Mention your faith in public
• Be bold enough to say “this is my
faith”
• Say less and think before you speak—
does it glorify God?
• Say grace before meals—make the
sign of the cross wherever you are
• Respectfully challenge an atheist
• Tell God and others you love them
The Call to Evangelization and Stewardship
Keys to Effective Evangelization
Humility
• Recognizing who God is in relation to ourselves
• Relying on God
• Recognizing our own human flaws and being willing to
expose them to others
Hospitality
• Inviting others to share our own frail human condition
• Establishing contact with non-believers especially those close in our world (relatives,
friends, associates) and those open to our voice
Trust in God
• Depending on God and his love for us
• Praying to God
• Remaining confident in God as Giver and ourselves as recipients of his gifts

The Call to Evangelization and Stewardship

 Stewardship

Share your talents. Share your treasure.

Share your time. Share your tradition.

The Call to Evangelization and Stewardship

References
Effective Evangelization
• http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1035
Ways to Evangelize
• http://salinadiocese.org/new-evangelization/1955-99-effective-ways-
to-evangelize-as-a-catholic