‘Seven Habits of Christian Disciples’

MADISON  What St. Athanasius wrote in his treatise on the Incarnation in 4th century Greece still rings true today — many people reject Christianity and Christ as their Lord and Savior because they think that Christianity is impossible.

Christian disciples need to address this misperception in modern times by first being converted to Christ in our hearts, so that we can answer God’s call to spread his Word that he is present and that is it possible to live holy, pure and chaste lives and live the teachings of the Church.

Brother Jude Lasota, a member of the Brotherhood of Hope for 30 years, issued that challenge to Catholics, while also equipping them with spiritual tools and strategies to help them evangelize, during his talk, “Seven Habits of Christian Disciples.” On April 16 at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Evangelization Center at Bayley-Ellard here, the Elizabeth native shared and reflected on key elements for disciples in the 21st century by drawing on his considerable experience. He has worked in evangelization at Florida State University and Rutgers University and in the formation of men through St. Paul Outreach and People of Hope.

“As disciples, we are called to do the will of God, the Father, by following Jesus Christ, the Lord, in the Holy Spirit with all of our lives for the rest of our lives,” said Brother Jude, who spoke to an audience that included candidates for the diocesan Catholic Certificate in Evangelization (CCE) program, parish evangelization coordinators and local faithful. “We are called to proclaim that the Church makes sense and, more importantly, that Jesus is Lord.

Throughout their lives, Christian disciples need to keep learning — both book learning that stimulates the mind and spiritual formation that nourishes the soul. But they first need to experience an adult conversion to Jesus. To accomplish that, they need to connect with to the Church through its traditions, its wisdom and Scripture, said Brother Jude, who cautioned that some conversions happen suddenly, while others occur more slowly.

“The problem in today’s society is that there are questions of whether truth exists and whether there is human nature. If we answer these questions [with the teachings of Scripture and the Church], there will be peace,” said Brother Jude, who holds a master’ degree in theology from Seton Hall University, South Orange, and has completed training in spiritual direction at Creighton University, in Omaha, Neb. “Here is the profound truth: God loves us and He made us His sons and daughters. If we really knew that, we would transform the world,” he said.

During his two-hour presentation at St. Paul’s, Brother Jude outlined his following “Seven Habits of Christian Disciples”:

• Prayer: carrying on “deep conversations with Jesus in a regular way,” which will energize our evangelization efforts. Forms of prayer include the Mass, the Divine Office, Scripture through Lectio Divina and personal dialogue, he said.

• Ongoing formation, which helps form our consciences in “the mind of Christ and the Church,” so that we can live virtuous lives. We can be formed by Scripture and the teachings of the Church, Brother Jude said.

• Vocation and discernment. This includes hearing and answering God’s call for us as a married person or a member of clergy or in religious life and also in our career and how to serve the Church. We need to listen to where the Lord might be calling us in our ultimate mission to build up the Church, he said.

• Spiritual gifts, specifically the following Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit that help us on our ongoing spiritual journey: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. We should seek the guidance of a priest or spiritual director to help us discern our gifts and then make sure that we are exercising them, Brother Jude said.

• Mission and service. The deeper we get into our discipleship, the more we will become “zealous to serve the Lord” and want to evangelize, which in turn, will “transform people.” The process of evangelization involves forming relationships, not programs, and also takes time. To be successful, we need to gather a team of people, who are using their spiritual gifts and are “on fire for God,” Brother Jude said.

• Discernment. We need to hear God’s voice, often through priests and friends who know us the best, but we also need to see how our lives and situations are developing to determine the right path for our lives. We need to recognize that God makes its happen, he said.

• Support and accountability. We might join small faith-sharing groups, which can help us foster humility and articulate our relationship with God. Brother Jude suggested that these groups, where participants might share personal reflections, are more effective when divided by men and women, unlike more intellectual Bible studies, which he said work well in co-ed settings.

After his presentation, Brother Jude fielded questions from audience members, which included Cristina Folan, communications coordinator at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls, and a CCE candidate. She told The Beacon that she learned that we gain valuable lessons from all evangelization efforts, including those that we perceive as failures. She called his talk “beautiful, inspiring and engaging — from a dynamic person who has been out there [evangelizing].”

“I’ve known Brother Jude for close to 30 years and I always appreciate the wisdom from those who have their feet on the ground doing the work and are able to share their successes and failures,” said Allan Wright, St. Paul’s academic dean. “I liked his most significant five words, ‘Can I pray with you?’ and his encouragement to pray and to look for leaders. When he mentioned that most ministries take three to five years to take root, I think that he gave a good perspective to those who expect results immediately,” he said.