VIEW from the PEW
On Ash Wednesday, our Lenten Journey began! Parishioners were gifted by Matthew Kelly’s book, “The
Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”. There are 6 chapters in the book and 6 weeks in Lent! It is our hope
that everyone reads and reflects on a chapter per week, so that by Easter our parish family will really experience the joy of the resurrection—New Life in Christ!
Each week in the bulletin and on our website, you will read a reflection of that week’s chapter from a
person in the pew—no theologians—just regular people like you! Here is our first View from the Pew:
Chapter 1:
Incredible Possibilities
In my life journey I have a greater need to know more about my faith, today, because I feel the pressures of the tumultuousness of the world and religion more than I can ever remember. Thus, reading The Four Signs Of A Dynamic Catholic is very timely for me.
In this first chapter, I discovered that, while it is God who does the transforming, it is my responsibility to do the
groundwork of praying more, reading the Bible more, and serving others more, but all in baby steps which are very
practical. I look forward to learning more in the next chapters about how to improve my relationship with the Lord,
improve my life, make better decisions and talk more comfortably about my faith in today’s environment.
By Steve Seide
In this first chapter we are asked to assess where we are on a scale of 1 to 10 for each of these signs. Let’s look at
where we are this Lent and intentionally choose ways we can improve our relationship with God, set goals in the four
signs and actively work towards our goal.
Prayer:
“Dynamic Catholics have a time to pray, a place to pray and a structure to their prayer.” (Page 19) Where do you score?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Study:
“Dynamic Catholics are hungry to learn more about the faith; have a position of humility;
explore what the Church teaches to further understand God’s way, eager to discover
truth.” (Pages 20-21) Where do you score?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Generosity:
“Dynamic Catholics are filled with a spirit of service and are generous stewards of their
time, talent and treasure. It’s a way of life, a way of bringing the love of God to the
world.” (Page 21-22) Where do you score?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Evangelization:
“Dynamic Catholics invite others to grow spiritually by sharing the love of God with them.
They want others to experience the joy of having a dynamic relationship with
God.” (Page 22) Where do you score?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Our traditional prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent is perfect for working on these four signs.
Here are some ideas for Lent.
Prayer:
Set a time and place to pray each day. Determine how you will pray: Rosary, Adoration, Centering
Prayer, start a Mass journal, or Liturgy of the hours.
Study:
Join a bible study. Pick a book of the bible to read and study. Join a Why Catholic group. Attend a
workshop. Read a book about a saint or by a saint.
Generosity:
Decide to volunteer. Share your time with the poor, elderly or someone in need. Offer a meal to a new
mother or someone in mourning. Write a note to a family member or friend noticing their goodness.
Evangelization: Invite a friend to Mass, bible study or parish event. Choose a Catholic book to read with a friend and
discuss it.
Sign up to receive daily emails from Matthew Kelly at http://dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever/
VIEW from the PEW
On Ash Wednesday, our Lenten Journey began! Parishioners were gifted by Matthew Kelly’s book,
“The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”. (If you missed out, please leave your name and phone number
with the receptionist!) There are 6 chapters in the book and 6 weeks in Lent! It is our hope that everyone reads and reflects on a chapter per week, so that by Easter our parish family will really experience
the joy of the resurrection—New Life in Christ!
Below is a reflection from a person in the pew, Ellen Guerin —not a theologian—just a regular person
like you!
Chapter 2:
Are you Spiritually Healthy?
Matthew Kelley begins Chapter 2 asking, “Are You Spiritually Healthy?” He then explains very simply that to be
so, we must pray. As a lifelong Catholic, his explanation of the prayer journey resonated with my personal experiences of early fumbling to learn how to be more spiritually healthy, the challenges for finding time and the
desire to go deeper.
His words awakened within my heart that deep desire to seek an intimate relationship with God--to hear His
voice and know that He listens to mine. I know I have the tendency to make spiritual things too complex—a
mystery I cannot begin to understand. Yet, as I read, I understood how truly simple having a conversation with
God can be. All I need do is go rest awhile from the busyness of the world in a place of solitude and silence
and begin by expressing by immense gratitude for all the gifts God has given to me. God responds, and I continue; He listens and responds. And we do it again and again. Matthew Kelly’s simple, practical approach motivates every reader to give it a try for the first time or to experience prayer anew.
By Ellen Guerin
Journey through Lent on-line with Matthew Kelly, himself, who will send you short videos and inspiration each week,
empowering you to become the “best-version-of-yourself”, a true disciple of Jesus Christ!
Just sign-on at: http://dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever/
Together, let’s make this “the best Lent ever”, growing stronger in faith, love, and service to others!
In the gospel today, we hear God’s voice say,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
We hear from God that Jesus is his Son, fully God and fully man. We will find life, joy and all we need in Jesus. How do
we hear the words of Jesus? How do we know what Jesus is telling us?
PRAYER!
Prayer keeps us connected with God, strengthens our relationship with God and helps us grow in holiness to be the
person God created us to be.
In the second chapter of The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, Matthew Kelly explains the first sign is Prayer. Kelly
asks, “Are you spiritually healthy?” Can you determine your temperature of your spiritual health?
When we keep our eyes on Jesus, follow His example and walk in His ways we are spiritually healthy. We find we are
able to keep calm in difficult circumstances, provide comfort and joy to those despairing, cheerfully give of our time,
talent and treasure to those in need. We are able to discern the needs of others and of ourselves with more accuracy
and serve in humility.
“Dynamic Catholics universally begin their day with some type of prayer, a spiritual routine that focuses their
day.” (page 43) Do you have a plan for prayer, a time, a routine? How do you find a routine of prayer that fits you and
will allow you to hear Jesus?
Matthew Kelly summarizes a simple prayer process to get you started on page 61. Each of the first six steps in the process should stimulate a conversation with God.
Matthew Kelly finishes his chapter saying,
“One of the great moments in the life of a Christian comes when we realize, once and for all,
that a life with prayer is better than a life without prayer.”
VIEW from the PEW
Third Sunday of Lent
Chapter 3:
The Genius of Catholicism
This chapter of "Dynamic Catholic" really caught my attention! For a long time, the almost epic
view of how we were supposed to live our lives seemed so intimidating to me. It always
seemed that the big picture was first and foremost, without thinking about all the small steps it
takes to get there. I think that there are a lot of people like me who would get discouraged
about ever getting to experience the "big " picture. I was able to put that away and concentrate
on my little corner of the world without feeling guilty that I couldn't help the universe as a
whole. This chapter really brings that out and I think if the Church as a whole validated the
simple things as a rule, then maybe great things would happen! It's like cleaning up after
these massive storms...takes a lot of little steps to clear the path.
By Joan Redman
In today’s first reading from Exodus, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. Our part of this covenant is
to live by the commandments and our God will be ever present to us. This is our instruction manual. When we
live this way, we function well and fully. God is ever near, providing for what we need. God hears our prayers
and our cries. We are tempted to think we know better than our Creator and we try to find short cuts.
We are reminded in the second reading from 1Corinthians that "God's foolishness is wiser than man's wisdom; God's weakness is stronger than man's strength." Living by the commandments keeps us safe and we
grow in wisdom. In the gospel reading we hear about Jesus in the temple as he fashions a whip and drives out
the money changers and “zeal for his Father’s house consumes him”. Jesus has this same zeal for us. He
wants our minds, hearts and spirits to be clean of idols, misconceptions, prejudices and sin. Living the commandments, knowing our faith and having a deep relationship with God brings peace and joy.
The second sign of a Dynamic Catholic is STUDY - continuous learning is at the heart of Study (Page
95).When faced with difficult decisions, study and searching for an answer, builds wisdom and faith. The process of study builds our covenant, helps us trust our Creator and live fully the purpose for which we were
made. God did not make robots, but people with hearts, minds and spirits to choose God and a holy life. “In
order to see the beauty of the Catholic faith you have to be solely interested in seeking the truth, which means
you have to set aside your own agenda and whatever prejudices life has burdened you with” (Page 89). Matthew Kelly finishes his third chapter on study by saying, “one of the best things about Catholicism is that there
are answers. Let's start to fill our hearts and minds with the truth and goodness of those answers.” (Page
104).
Take one small step and start reading 5 pages a day of a Catholic book. Do you need ideas for study?
 Choose a book of the Bible to learn more about it, like a Gospel per week, and jot down your image of
God.
 Join a scripture study group, WINGS, Why Catholic?, St. Michael Men’s Group to explore the Bible with
others.
 Choose a commandment and read what the church teaches in the Catechism of the Catholic Church
 Choose a Doctor of the Church or a Saint to learn about and read one of their writings
 Read an encyclical of the Church from the Vatican website: www.vatican.va/
 Sign up for daily or weekly reflections (books, emails, etc.) from the Pope or other theologians.
 STOP BY OUR LIBRARY—above the reception area—TO PICK UP A GOOD BOOK!
VIEW from the PEW
Chapter 4: The Happiest People I Know
When I had braces in middle school, our family’s orthodontist struck me as one of the most jolly and
friendly people I had ever met. Some of my family and I joked that he must be happy because of his
wealth, as he had a thriving office and a Porsche in the parking lot. One day, I was reading a Catholic
book in the waiting room and brought it into my appointment. When he saw me, he asked me what I
was reading. I told him and he explained that he believes society needs God to thrive and spoke about
a religious book he had read that touched his heart. I then realized why he is one of the happiest people
I know--because he is generous (including treating all patients to a free movie trip every year) and because he prioritizes his relationship with God. I firmly believe if we follow Matthew Kelly’s advice
and be generous to God and others, like my orthodontist, we can be the happiest people we know.
Kelly lays out a great roadmap for that: daily prayer (bi-weekly confession is a very helpful component
of that for me), generosity to our family, the poor and our parish, and a spirit of gratitude for all the
wonderful blessings God has bestowed on all of us!
By Rob Carney
[email protected]
Journey through Lent on-line with Matthew Kelly, himself, who will send you short videos and inspiration each week,
empowering you to become the “best-version-of-yourself”, a true disciple of Jesus Christ!
Just sign-on at: http://dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever/
Together, let’s make this “the best Lent ever”, growing stronger in faith, love, and service to others!
In the opening prayer of today’s Mass we hear how “God reconciled the human race to himself through his
Word; salvation was accomplished through the Paschal Mystery of the Word, made flesh Jesus”. Living in exile we are taken away from the world we know, love and are comfortable in. As sinners, we feel the joy of returning from exile after the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God forgives us and welcomes us home. “God, who is rich in mercy because of the
great love he had for us, . . . brought us to life with Christ – by grace you have been
saved” (Ephesians 2: 4). God’s mercy and unfathomable love help and inspire us to be
generous to others.
Generosity is chapter four of Matthew Kelly’s book, “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”. On page 111,
Kelly states, “Generosity is at the heart of the Christian life, just as it is at the heart of the Gospel. For it is
often through our generosity that we are able to bring the love of God to life for others in very real and tangible ways”. Generosity and a spirit of gratefulness breeds a joyful person, one who eases the pain and
suffering of those in need.
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Take one small step and start to give of your time, your treasure and your talent.
Matthew Kelly challenges us to answer these questions:
Are you a good steward of what God has entrusted to you? (page 113)
Do you trust that God will provide for you? (page 115)
Is Social Justice an integral part of your life? (page 117)
Do you encourage others generously? (page 119)
Do you look for opportunities to be generous? (page 120)
How generous are you? (pages 123-124)
“Measurement creates awareness, awareness leads to intentionality
and intentionality leads to behavior.” (page 124)
How generous are you with your time?
How generous are you with your talent?
How generous are you with your treasure?
How generous are you in your marriage or primary relationship?
How generous are you with patience?
How generous are you with God?
VIEW from the PEW
Chapter 5: Changing the world
In Chapter Five of The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, Matthew Kelly challenges us to consider
“How would you change the world?” He poses, “…too often we look outside ourselves. When God
looks to change the world, he looks deep within us, driving straight to the heart of the matter: human
behavior.” As a mother of two young children, I often find myself gripped with worry and anxiety over
the state of the world. I worry about whether or not the world will be safe enough, at peace enough,
loving enough. Every time I consider these worries, I spin and sputter until I realize that really, there’s
not much that I can do to fix the world. But as Kelly shares with us in the Prologue, “If you get the man
right, you get the world right.” Maybe there’s something urgently important about this message. What
if I really did try to be my best self? What if I aimed in all things to be genuinely who I was made to be
by our loving God? Wouldn’t I be better and more loving, and in turn, wouldn’t that make my little
space in this world better? If I made real and sincere efforts in each day, in things both small and big, I
could make this world safer, more peaceful, and more loving – at least for my children, at least in our
little space in this world.
By Diana Chase
Journey through Lent on-line with Matthew Kelly, himself, who will send you short videos and inspiration each week,
empowering you to become the “best-version-of-yourself”, a true disciple of Jesus Christ!
Just sign-on at: http://dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever/
Together, let’s make this “the best Lent ever”, growing stronger in faith, love, and service to others!
Learning is a process. We learn new facts, ideas and ways of living through observation, listening and trying to
use what we learn. Through trial and error, we determine the “best way”; the best way to understand, the best way
to live and the best way to demonstrate our new knowledge.
In Matthew Kelly’s book, The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, the fifth chapter talks about the fourth sign,
EVANGELIZATION. Kelly defines evangelization on pages 158 and 159:
“Evangelization – helping others to discover the love of God and the wisdom of his ways; helping people
to live their best possible life and become the-best-version-of-themselves, helping people to discover the
best way to live.”
Jeremiah, in our first reading, reminds us of God’s covenant;
“I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord.”
Jeremiah tells us that God places in our hearts the knowledge of God and God’s laws. God is not foreign and unknown. Evangelization is taking that gift of knowing God and helping others recognize it, share it and live it. When
we do this, we transform the ugliness and pain of this world into peace, hope and gratefulness.
Matthew Kelly’s book gives concrete examples and methods we can use to help others discover God’s love and
the best way to live. When we share our faith in word and in deed, we are our best selves and we encourage
those around us to be their best selves. Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the
ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Evangelization is reaching
beyond our comfort zone to produce much fruit. Kelly states it this way, “ We are all being called to share our faith
with others. Through the beauty of Christian friendship, the goodness of outrageous generosity, and answering
people’s deepest questions, we are able to invite people to discover God, his Church and the best way to live.”
What will you do this week to evangelize? Here are some ideas from Matthew Kelly on page 180:
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Pass books and CDs about the faith around.
Invite people to Catholic events, like the “Resurrection” here at the parish on Saturday,
March 28, at 7pm in the church.
Bring a Christ-centered perspective to conversations.
Learn the Catholic teachings on certain issues and be able to articulate them.
Help people discover answers to the questions that cause them to doubt the Catholic faith.
Demonstrate the love of God through faithful and generous friendship.
VIEW from the PEW
Chapter 6: A New Level of Thinking
"Real hope for the future comes from giving everything to the present" (Kelly). The best
way that we can improve is to give and do as much as possible now. I really take that to
heart by volunteering as much as possible: mentoring, tutoring, even just lectoring and altar
serving at church makes a difference. The more that we are involved and try to live a life
that God wants us to, the more we show others what it really means to be a Catholic. " If
you are what you should be, you will set the world ablaze" was stated by Catherine of Siena. There is no truer statement. If every Catholic showed the world the four signs (prayer,
continuous learning, generosity, and evangelization) and wasn't afraid to make a change
and set an example of their faith, it would make all the difference in the Church and in the
world. Whether it is through the small things, like paying for the person behind you in line,
or the large things, such as speaking out against immoral acts, and most importantly
through explaining, setting an example of, and sharing your faith, we can be a light to the
world.
By Kailee Deabay, class of 2017, at Central Catholic High School.
Journey through Holy Week on-line with Matthew Kelly, himself, who will send you short videos and inspiration each
week, empowering you to become the “best-version-of-yourself”, a true disciple of Jesus Christ!
Just sign-on at: http://dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever/
Together, let’s make this the best Holy Week ever, growing stronger in faith, love, and service to others!
We enter Holy Week and draw ever closer to the renewal of our Baptism vows on Easter, our individual
covenant with God. Are you ready to profess these vows and your covenant with God? Has your Lenten
journey provided the nourishment, encouragement and growth needed to have an open heart and mind
to God’s love and God’s ways? What have you learned about who you are and the “best-version-ofyourself”?
The final chapter of Matthew Kelly’s book called, “A New Level of Thinking,” challenges us to “Be Bold.
Be Catholic.” Living our faith with courage and intentionality will transform us, our parish, our church and
our world. In our first reading Isaiah says,
“The Lord God has given me a well trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.”
The Catholic Church needs to engage more Catholics in their faith. We are called to evangelize and like
Isaiah, God is with us; guiding us and inspiring us to “rouse the weary” in their faith. Practicing the four
signs of a dynamic catholic daily will be “the game changer” we need in our faith.
Prayer
Study
Generosity
Evangelization
The gospel readings today start with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and finish with the
death of Jesus on the cross. We experience the cheers to the jeers, the acclamations to the accusations
to find out how much we are loved by God. In our second reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians we hear, “Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; . .
.Jesus humbled himself becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus died for
our salvation and redemption. Holy Week reminds us of this. God’s incredible love for each of us! This is
the love that will give us the courage and strength to be bold, be catholic.
Kelly’s final words are, “Let us sit with God for a few minutes each day and dream with him, and with the
vision he places in our hearts, go out into the world with a contagious love that cannot be ignored. Be
Bold. Be Catholic. When the Catholic faith is actually lived it is incredibly potent.”