#MissionofJoy

What I was leading up to at the end of my previous post was captured beautifully by the Denver Catholic, which is the official newspaper of Archdiocese of Denver. In writing about how we might face our present circumstances the authors correctly note that, generally, there are two roads we can walk:

Go on the defensive. We've clearly lost the culture war, but we can try to convince the public that our view is the correct one.

Realize that we don't live in a Christian culture, and therefore must engage it as missionaries.

Option one is equivalent to declaring ourselves victims. Option two is to accept the challenge of living as authentic followers of Jesus Christ in a world that has largely forgotten Him.

Jesus Christ is real. We Christians have experienced the sweetness of a personal relationship with Him. Our mission is not to punish or coerce those who have not experienced this—instead, we must invite them into relationship. What better way to do this than to show the joy of living the Catholic faith?

We ask you to join us in the ‪#‎MissionofJoy‬ campaign.

Our goal is to fill social media, and Catholic media especially, with messages of hope and joy, not victimhood and retaliation

This strikes me as being wholly in accord with what Pope Francis has called us to do since the beginning of his pontificate, which is to be missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Subsequently, I have added to my labels for Καθολικός διάκονος #MissionofJoy. Along with the authors of this boldly simple and Spirit-led initiative, I urge all Christians to take some time and discern how you can be a missionary disciple of Jesus on a mission of joy.