The Making Disciples Today Blog has reflections to help you grow in your journey of missionary discipleship, reviews on recommended Catholic evangelization resources, and practical insight on how to evangelize in your daily life.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
There is a cost of discipleship — Jesus sometimes calls us to leave behind professions, friends, even family. Does that mean that work and human relationships are at odds with growing in our relationship with God? The concept of detachment can help us understand this problem.
Jesus calls us to put God first, above everyone and everything else. And that’s really the point of the virtue we call “detachment.” Detachment is the opposite of attachment. If we get too attached to someone or something, we cannot let that person or object go, even when such letting go is necessary. We must be detached enough from other people and possessions, Jesus insists, that they cannot interfere with following God’s will.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
Sharing Faith Without Feeling “Preachy”
Most of us want to share our faith. We’ve encountered Jesus in ways that have brought hope, healing, or direction, and deep down we want others to experience that too.
But here’s the tension: none of us want to come across as pushy or “that preachy person.” So how do we talk about Jesus in a way that actually invites people in?
That’s the heart of this conversation I had with the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. We talked about Burning Hearts Disciples, the gift of accompaniment, and—most importantly—practical ways to share faith in everyday life.
In the video, I share one of my favorite simple frameworks:
I was… Jesus did… Now I am…
It’s not about rattling off doctrine. It’s not about getting all the words right. It’s about telling the truth of what Jesus has done in your life—short, real, personal.
Think of it like introducing a friend. You wouldn’t start by listing their biography or debating their worldview. You’d tell a story about how they’ve impacted you, and then say, “I’d love for you to meet them.”
That’s evangelization at its core.
Ready to Try It Yourself?
Your story doesn’t have to be long or polished—it just has to be real. Our free guides will help you pray through your experiences and practice sharing them using the simple “I was… Jesus did… Now I am” framework.
Explore Our Practical Story Tools →
The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity serve in Catholic Health Care, Education, Campus Ministry and Parish-Community Service throughout the United States. From Missions on Dioceses in Arizona, to the Dioceses of Lincoln and Omaha; from Columbus and Steubenville, to Mississippi, and Wisconsin and Michigan.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
In this episode of the Transforming Parishes, Transforming Lives podcast, we focus on how to nurture the disciples you have in the parish (particularly new ones)--especially in the early days of parish renewal when they get called upon to handle a disproportionally large amount of the work necessary to move forward with transformation.
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- Written by: Fr. Larry Rice
Green is the color of most of our Church year. Green vestments on the priest and deacon, green banners hanging behind the altar, green plants adorning the sanctuary. After the glitz and glamor of the Christmas and Easter seasons, this season in our Church year can seem, well, ordinary.
Ordinary Time
The period in our Church year that follows the Christmas season, and then again follows the Easter season, has an unfortunate name—Ordinary Time. The name comes from the fact that while we are outside of special seasons, the Church simply counts the time as it passes (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, etc). It's counted time using the ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd...) which is how it got it's name. Of course, being that it's also outside of the special seasons, it often feels mundane, routine, ordinary as well.
Rev. Larry Rice, CSP explains Ordinary Time this way...
