Alan Hirst leading our Book Club meeting. Come join us Mondays at 6:30 PM!
I don’t want to scare anyone. Sometimes while driving, I ask myself, “Where am I going?” When I begin to see unfamiliar or unexpected sights, I realize I’m not on the route toward my destination. Maybe I was talking to someone else in the car or absorbed in an e-book. Whatever the cause, the effect is that I was on “autopilot.”
It’s alright if it doesn’t happen often and it only puts me a mile or so off-route. But imagine if it happens frequently and takes me miles away. Imagine if it doesn’t merely happen while driving, but simply while living. Imagine ending up at places in life and asking, “How did I get here?”
Of course, you can only be off-route if you actually have a destination. Christians do: it’s righteousness in this life and heaven in the life to come. The route to that destination varies by Christian, but we all learn the route by following Jesus. He’s the one who makes us righteous and takes us to his Father and ours. You might call this intentional discipleship. I’m not Catholic because my parents raised me Catholic or because I converted to marry a Catholic. I’m Catholic because I am following Jesus to righteous living and eternal life.
During my time in the parish, I’ve run a Bible study from September through May. This year, I ended the Bible study in January and a book club began in February. The book is Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus by Sherry Weddell, a convert to Catholicism. The first two chapters of the book analyze the challenges to growth for the Catholic Church in the US. The subsequent chapters explain how we can follow Jesus intentionally and even help others to follow him intentionally.
I read the book when I was a newly ordained priest but the book re-entered my radar when Bishop Willians asked parish leaders throughout the diocese to study it.
I invite you to join parishioner Alan Hirst and others for a weekly book club working through Forming Intentional Disciples one chapter a week. Alan reviews the chapter for 10-15 minutes then opens the floor for discussion. The book can be purchased on Amazon or in Morgan Hall (we have a couple of copies for sale for $13) and there’s no expectations for attendees. It’s simply a great opportunity for every Catholic to check ourselves. If you are ending up in strange places in family, career, and other areas of life, this book club may be just what you need.
Fr. Jon Thomas