Successful Ministries

Lately, I have been meditating on the newly baptized of the early first century Church. According to the Acts of the Apostles, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to prayer” (2:42). I think each of these four things deserve a little exposition as well as credit for how we have been attempting to establish successful ministries lately. In fact, if you may feel disconnected from the Church, adding some of these to your spiritual life might make a big difference to your connection to Christ.

Firstly, the early disciples devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, or in other words, true doctrine. We have to know God, and this is what we will do in heaven forever. We will know just as we are known (Cf. 1 Cor 13:12). Heaven is primarily union with God, and our prayer and study should direct us to think as Christ and his Church thinks. Ignorance of God is ignorance of that which matters most. Therefore, we need to study, and I recommend having Scripture, a novel, or anything to read by the bedside to learn about God and his creation.

The disciples also devoted themselves to “the fellowship.” A lot of Catholics feel lonely. There is a reason I get a lot of pizza for kids; I think God made us eat so that we would actually slow down and talk to each other about important things. Successful ministries not only teach true things about God, but they also teach people true relationships. So, if you are struggling in the faith right now, this is a common area to explore. Connect with someone at Mass, invite them over, or invite someone who could use fellowship.

The “breaking of the bread” is the third area, and it is the most obvious. Early Catholics went to Mass. In the US, only around 25% of Catholics attend Mass every Sunday. If you are reading this, chances are, you are in that 25%, and I wonder what percentage of our attention is for God on Sundays. I will be the first to admit, even as a priest, being physically present is not enough. Unless I prepare for Mass spiritually beforehand, read the readings even if I am not
preaching, turn off the noises beforehand, Mass can be difficult to pay attention and pray. Catholics who are connected to God are Catholics all about the Mass.

Lastly, the disciples devoted themselves to “the prayer.” It is not just prayer, but “the” prayer that is important. We can’t just piously think about God or do God’s work or just show up to Mass. Meditative and contemplative prayer is essential to connecting with God. It’s hard, but it works. Rosaries, scripture readings, Eucharistic adoration: all of these things and more force us to meditate, which forces our minds to stay close to God. Otherwise, we would just get in the habit of thinking about whatever we want to think about, and that often leads not to God.