Featured Video
Discipleship

Forming Disciples: The Dynamics of Discipleship

We continue devoting some attention to the concept of discipleship by turning to Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham recorded short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this segment, Fr. Brice helps us understand the dynamics of discipleship.  For more information about discipleship, check out the following links: Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in […]

Featured Video
Discipleship

Forming Disciples: Remaining with Jesus

As catechists, we work with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, let’s devote some attention to the concept of discipleship. I can think of no one better to turn to than Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham recorded short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In this […]

Featured Video
Discipleship

Forming Disciples: What Is a Disciple?

As catechists, we “conspire” with the Holy Spirit to form disciples of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to devote some attention to the concept of discipleship, and I can think of no one better to turn to than Fr. Brice Higginbotham, author of Remaining with Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of John. Fr. Higginbotham recorded short videos while he is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture […]

Understanding Discipleship: A Webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham (pictured)
Discipleship

Understanding Discipleship: A Webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham

In Catholic circles, we hear the word discipleship mentioned more and more. However, what exactly is discipleship? What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? How do we make disciples of Christ? Where do we go to learn more about what discipleship looks like? To explore these and other questions related to the concept of discipleship, join me for a webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham. Understanding Discipleship A Webinar with Fr. Brice Higginbotham […]

stand-up paddle boarding - photo by Tiana on Pexels
Discipleship

What’s SUP? Catholic Mentoring on the Deck of a Stand-Up Paddle Board

“I’ll meet you on the beach tomorrow morning in front of lifeguard station 9B.” Bernadette is a force to be reckoned with. Smart, bold, and athletic, she spent months attempting to convince me that I was capable of mastering a stand-up paddle board (SUP) on the open ocean. I finally agreed to give it a try. So there I stood, scrunching my toes into the sand in front of station 9B, awaiting her arrival and […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus and Mary and Martha at tomb of Lazarus
Discipleship

Lenten Disciples: Martha and Mary at the Raising of Lazarus

In this Lenten disciples series, we have explored the stories of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42) and the man who was blind since birth (John 9:1–41). We now turn to the dramatic story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45). Set in the small town of Bethany, which was about two miles from Jerusalem, we hear that Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, was very sick. The sisters sent word to Jesus, […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus giving sight to man born blind
Discipleship

Lenten Disciples: The Man Born Blind

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their faith journeys. Through the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42), we explored the early stages of the discipleship journey. Later in the Gospel of John, we hear the story of Jesus restoring sight to a man born blind. (John 9:1–41) This story represents the next stage in the journey of discipleship. In this story, a man who was […]

Lenten Disciples - icon of Jesus and Samaritan Woman at the Well
Discipleship

Lenten Disciples: The Woman at the Well

In the Scriptures, we see examples of disciples at different stages of their journeys. For the next few weeks of Lent, we will explore three different encounters with Jesus and what these encounters tell us about discipleship. We will focus first on perhaps one of the best-known stories in the Bible: Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4:1–42). In this story, Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman and strikes up a conversation with her at […]

Catechists as Mystagogues - text over watercolor background by Sergey Ryumin/Moment/Getty Images
Discipleship

Catechists as Mystagogues: Apprenticing Others into Discipleship

Years ago, it was common for a young person to learn a trade by being apprenticed by someone who was a master in that trade. When it was published in 1997, the General Directory for Catechesis (#67) created some excitement by declaring that faith formation was to be understood as an apprenticeship. What does it mean to apprentice someone into the Catholic faith? To answer that, let’s look at the essentials of an apprenticeship: The […]

woman leading catechist meeting - Getty Images
Discipleship

Stop, Look, and Listen in Evangelization

How can we reach out to others and have their best interests in mind as we evangelize? Thinking about that question reminded me of Jesus’ own way of “seeing us” through being compassionately aware and present, especially in our time of need. In a recent prayer project with Joe Paprocki, I described prayer as a process through which we regularly take the time to stop whatever we may be engaged in, look around and connect […]