“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Matthew 28: 19-20
By Joe Hemmelgarn
On behalf of my team and I, we would first like to extend a thank-you for the warm welcome we have received from the entire Archdiocese! We are beyond excited to be here in Louisville and share our lives with you all. FOCUS is short for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and we are a part of the largest Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students. Currently FOCUS has close to 700 missionaries on 153 campuses across the United States and internationally. This is the first year for FOCUS at U of L.
As missionaries, we spend five weeks in the summer to be trained in Church teaching, prayer, sacred Scripture, and evangelization and discipleship. We encounter students in friendship where they are, inviting them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accompanying them as they pursue lives of virtue and excellence. Through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips, and one-on-one discipleship, we inspire and build up students in the faith, sending them out to spread the good news to others! During the first month on campus, we have met many students during Welcome Week events, Sunday Mass, going to sporting events, eating lunch at the Student Center, and working out at the Recreation Center.
As we begin to foster relationships with the students, we have invited them into our lives and into small group Bible studies to facilitate an encounter with Jesus Christ and his sacred Word and to build community and fraternity with the other members in the study. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) By sharing the Word of God, we allow Jesus to come alive in our small groups and ignite conversation.
Just last week, our freshmen men’s study on prayer sparked one student to recall his experience in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. By having this conversation, others were open to sharing their experience in prayer and led some of the men to come to daily Adoration and Mass this past week. As a team, we each lead two Bible studies per week. Students are looking beyond the typical college experience and chasing after God and his Kingdom. “But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33)
We all have this God sized hole that we try to fill with things this world says will make us happy, but only God can satisfy us with his unfailing mercy, grace, and love. When Jesus hung on the cross, he thirsted not physically, but for each soul to come to know him and his Kingdom. Jesus wants our whole selves and our baggage. When we encounter Jesus Christ in the Sacraments, in his Word, or in others, and invite him into our lives, we become a new creation. As St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
We as Christian Catholics are called to share the Good News to everyone. He wants to transform us if we allow him. If we are so convicted of this truth and faith we have come to know and seek after, then why are we so shy and uncomfortable to share our faith with our neighbor, the guy down the street who lives alone, our own children, friends, and family? Is it because we are too comfortable?
For twenty-three years of my life, I lived comfortably and had everything I wanted including a great Catholic upbringing, a great job, and loving family and friends, but I was not satisfied. I had a huge reversion back to the faith my junior year of college, due in part to a FOCUS missionary and a broken relationship. I had led a Bible study and even discipled a few students, but I continued to build my own kingdom and chase after the world and its emptiness. It wasn’t until I put two feet into serving Christ and focused on building, seeking, and sharing the Kingdom that I had truly found happiness. It is not an easy way though and sharing the faith with others can be intimidating and uncomfortable. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI provides some great insight when he stated “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”
In the Gospel, St. Peter challenges Jesus to not take up his cross and suffer for our sake. How many times, do we make the excuse to not reach out to someone or share our lives or the Gospel with someone, because it may cause us to be uncomfortable or suffer for being “different.” Jesus rebuked Peter and went on to say that if we truly want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves, suffer, and take up our cross everyday. Therefore, if we want to follow Jesus and be his disciples, we will have to suffer. But by uniting our suffering with Jesus’, his grace is outpoured, and we grow closer to him and have hope that one day we will dwell with him in paradise.
With the news unfolding within the Church, we have a great opportunity to grow closer to Christ and share with others why we are still Catholic and the hope we have in Jesus Christ and his Church. As missionaries on campus, we will continue to share the Good News with others by the grace of God and continue to bring students to encounter Christ. It is not always easy as we would like, but Jesus never promised us that it would be easy either. “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the World.” (John 16:33)
I challenge myself and those reading to make an intentional effort to reach out to someone and share with him or her your faith, your very self, and the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. What good are our faith and the light of Christ if we keep them hidden under a basket? We are the Kingdom, we are the light! Let us share the light and let everyone know that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
In Christ,
Joe Hemmelgarn
FOCUS Missionary – University of Louisville
