Share - Summer 2017 - 4
Nat i o n al Cl e rgy Consul tant's Message Rev. Jeffrey J. Maurer, National Clergy Consultant J ESUS' USE OF THE MUSTARD SEED IMAGE IN HIS PARABLE ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD packs a powerful punch. All of that potential in an almost invisibly tiny seed! Certainly he must've seen in his Divine foreknowledge the Catholic Church today in her vastness both in distance and in numbers. The "before and after" picture of the vastness of the church today and the small little band gathered around the seashore in Galilee could not be more striking. After the Ascension, Jesus commands his disciples to go out, to spread, and to share the gospel... with a sense of joyful urgency. The growth of the Church, detonated in the fire of the Holy Spirit and fanned during the apostolic age with that joyful urgency described in the Acts of the Apostles, continued to grow and ebb over the centuries and millennia. Additionally, any current growth and contained branching out is made effective because of the grace of God and the cooperation of the "earthen vessels" he uses: you and me. 4 SHARE * SUMMER 2017 The Catholic Daughters are a small branch in the larger Church, but they must continue to be strong not just to serve others, but to serve God. Similarly, that same growth must continue with the joyful urgency that is on continual display in the readings during the Easter Season. Over the next months, some of the state and national leaders will receive a small, pocket size 20 Year Calendar which forces us to look beyond this month, this year, and even this life to see how we can inspire a joyful urgency to bring souls to Christ and His Church, especially through the efforts of the Catholic Daughters. Pray that during this summer we can do some planting and growing of our own to unlock the potential and grow his Kingdom with the joyful urgency of his true disciples. Sincerely in Christ, Rev. Jeffrey J. Maurer National Clergy Consultant
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