Denver Catholic

19 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 26-SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 to aœ ect. This is smaller than the "Circle of Concern," which encom- passes everything we care about. "The place to begin building any relationship is inside ourselves, inside our circle of infl uence, our own character," Covey says. "In our personal lives, if we do not develop our own self-awareness and become responsible…we empower other people and circumstances outside our Circle of Infl uence to shape much of our lives by default." This includes media. So in a noisy world where media and social networks are unlikely to change, this is an opportunity for a gut check: Will we consciously choose to think about what we're feeding ourselves emotionally, spiritually and mentally with media? Will we try to think critically about what we read, and form our opinions and responses based in truth and charity? Will we lay down our arms and stop picking sides? Here's how to rise above the Hunger Games that is social media and be a force of positivity instead: ASK: What am I trying to accomplish? Will sharing this article or posting that comment benefi t anyone, or will it stir division? Is it to seek validation? If it's for a purpose that's centered toward our self, it's probably better to refrain. ASK: Are there people I struggle with? (Especially online.) What are the thoughts I have about this person? What does that say about my own heart? How can I pray for this person (or group of people) instead of harboring negativity, or even foster a relationship if possible? ASK: What do I want? Often when we are speaking on social media, we are acting out of a deep desire for change, which is good. But we won't change things on a media platform – that's not where it happens. Change happens when we work on our own hearts and then work with people around us, face-to-face. Ask what your desire is and then work toward it per- son-to-person, or in yourself. ASK: Would I say this in front of someone? Is what you're about to say online something that you would say to someone's face? If not, don't say it. REMEMBER: Do some research. You've heard it before, but don't believe everything you read online. If it's from an outlet that's not o´ cial, if it doesn't cite claims or name sources, if it's from a blog — take it with a grain of salt. Remember the bias of major outlets, too; they all do it, so do some critical thinking with everything you hear. Research even ideas that oppose yours – diœ ering views shouldn't oœ end you or be seen as a threat to your ideology. Instead, it's an oppor- tunity to enhance your ability to listen and dialogue. REMEMBER: Take a break. If media is causing you to live in fear, anger or bitterness, take a step away from it for a while – even if it's just a day. Taking a break from social media especially on a Sunday is a great way to rest on the Sabbath. Social media is useful, but not at the cost of your inner peace. REMEMBER: When you come across tragedy, pray. Remember that fi rst and foremost, what you're hearing about involves people. Media is a wonderful tool, so of course, it's not all bad. But in a con- stant stream of noise, we have to be especially intentional about what we read, hear and see — because what goes into our hearts and minds does infl uence us, for better or worse. When we remember to set bound- aries and consciously choose how to respond, we are no longer at its mercy. St. John Paul II said, "From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard? For it is only when his face is seen and his voice heard that the world will know the glad tidings of our redemption. This is the purpose of evangelization. And this is what will make the Internet a gen- uinely human space, for if there is no room for Christ, there is no room for man. Therefore, on this World Com- munications Day, I dare to summon the whole Church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out into the deep of the Net." Bearing fruit by living your charism I n 2015, Sherry Weddell's Forming Intentional Disciples became the Catholic book to read. Its simple but powerful message focused eccle- sial leaders on a fundamental but overlooked point: Jesus called us to make dis- ciples and yet most Catholics in the pews had not yet made that decision, let alone led others to it. Weddell now asks us a fundamental question for parishes today: "Where's the fruit?" It's a question she asks through her ministry, the St. Catherine of Siena Institute, which points to an eœ ective way to allow God to bear fruit in our lives — to discern and live our charisms. In her new book Fruitful Dis- cipleship: Living the Mission of Jesus in the Church and the World (OSV, 2017), she looks at the gifts God gives to all the baptized to build up the Church. Most Catholics, however, she notes, do not even know what a charism is let alone how to begin living theirs out. The Christian life is not just about our talents and eœ orts, but fl ows more fundamentally from the supernatural work of God. Every baptized Christian has supernatural gifts from God— sanctifying grace, gifts of the Spirit, infused virtues — including charisms. Weddell defi nes charisms as "gifts of the Holy Spirit" or "graces that pass through you and me — with our cooperation — to convey God's truth, beauty, provision, healing, and mercy to someone else" (75). God does in fact give charisms to all Christians, though they are largely unrecognized. Helping Catholics to recognize them presents an essential task as "every baptized person has a 'totally unique contribution' to make to the Church's mission" (77, quoting St. John Paul II). If we do not live out our charisms, we will not see the fruit God intends in our lives and parishes. Weddell challenges us to rethink parish life and change its culture. "We have observed over the years that the cultural norm in place in most parishes unintentionally sup- presses and impedes the spiritual growth and conversion of many" (214). Rather, "we need to build a parish-literate band of evangelizers whose primary work is to help individuals and families become mature disciples and fruit-bearing apostles" (217). She notes that we have to move from a maintenance mentality that simply seeks to preserve the status quo to a more dynamic model of helping each Catholic accept their mission from God to evangelize and serve. Charisms are divided into three major groups of charisms: Individ- ual, founding, and hierarchical (86). Founding charisms enable the begin- ning of new spiritual movements and hierarchical charisms are given to the clergy through ordination. She focuses, therefore, on the individual charisms, and through her Called & Gifted Work- shops has identifi ed a "working list of charisms," which includes: "Encour- agement, helps, hospitality, mercy, pastoring, evangelism, prophecy, teaching, administration, leadership, giving, service, celibacy, extraordinary faith, missionary, voluntary poverty, healing, intercessory prayer, knowl- edge, wisdom, craftsmanship, music, writing" (78-79). These charisms may be given in a temporary or abiding way. The way to discover your charisms is to be active in the life of the parish and to work in the apostolate. Unlike other spiritual gifts and graces, charisms are directly ordered toward the good of others. Charisms help us to serve eœ ec- tively and must be discerned, as they are gifts and not simply our own talents or desires. When exercising them, there will be a sense of God's presence, a joy, and also greater eœ ectiveness in ser- vice. Weddell describes "the three signs of a charism — your personal experi- ence, your objective eœ ectiveness for the Kingdom of God and the positive feedback of others, both direct and indi- rect," which "should be consistently present over time" (198). She notes that even though she guides people through inventories to get a sense of their gifts, charisms are only discerned by acting and discerning over time. Just as Sherry Weddell challenged us a few years ago to put making disci- ples at the forefront of our ministry in the Church, now she helps us to under- stand that this work will only bear fruit through the gifts given to us by God. If we truly open ourselves to these gifts, discern them, and practice them for the good of others, we will see much more fruit in our lives and parishes. The Catholic Reader R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a husband and father of six, the catechetical formation specialist for the Archdiocese of Denver, a Benedictine oblate, prolifi c writer, and insatiable reader. DR. R. JARED STAUDT

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