Missionary Discipleship
Missionary Discipleship demands that we not only uncover our spiritual gifts, called charisms, but more importantly that we come to use our gifts intentionally in our mission to Proclaim the Kingdom of God to all those we encounter in our daily lives. God bestows charisms on us as spiritual "tools" for our mission to bring Christ to the world and the world to Christ! Most Catholics sitting in the pews on Sunday, those involved in parish ministries and even ministry leaders have never been given the opportunity to uncover their spiritual gifts. Yet, we all have them, for St. Paul says in 1 Cor 12:7, "To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for some benefit". Dynamic parishes function with many gifted leaders, members of ministries, and ordinary Catholics. However, as noted above, few can identify their spiritual gifts called charisms (Catholic), by name. Charism discernment enables both discovery and learning about not only one's own charisms but those of others. This is what enables parishes to give personal invitations to their parish members and engage them in their giftedness.
St. John Paul I
In Novo Millenio Ineunte (2000), St. John Paul II challenged Catholics to "put out into the deep" to transform parishes into Schools of Prayer, Holiness, Communion, and Evangelization. To respond to this challenge we must realize that we will only be successful if we go out under the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, with His Gifts for our mission -- just as His apostles and disciples did after Pentecost!
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life. This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased to bestow on them.
I Peter 4:10-11
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."
Finally, imagine if your parish had a database with every parishioner's charisms so that your parish could personally celebrate and invite your people to use their charisms in the parish ministries, especially those ministries with the greatest need for volunteers.
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