A Testimony and Something to Consider for Lent

Just last week, our team received a letter from a priest in another diocese. In it, he shared that he had found a few of the podcasts and videos we have made on what we consider the most urgent evangelistic task in our day: the compelling and attractive proclamation of the gospel. In the videos and podcasts, he also heard our appeal for priests to consider setting aside four or five consecutive weeks at Sunday Mass to do this. Here’s what he wrote:

“This past October, our presbyterate watched Fr. John’s series on the Kerygma. Those videos inspired me. I took the charge to preach these to my parish during Advent. The people knew 20+ minute homilies were long, and though most complain about ‘long homilies’ we ended up having to put out chairs all December to accommodate the crowds. We had several fallen away Catholic families come home, a few (young and old) join RCIA mid year, and the parish is now asking what my ‘next series’ is going to be. Thank you!”

Just after we received this letter, we were out on mission in the Archdiocese of Denver. During the season of Advent, Archbishop Aquila had asked all of the priests to preach the kerygma at Mass on Sundays. To my knowledge, no diocese has ever done anything quite like that. In essence, the entire Archdiocese of Denver went on retreat together during Advent, hearing at Mass on Sunday a similar message related to Created, Captured, Rescued and Response. The Archbishop even gave key points for each week that he wanted his brothers to break open for the faithful, all moved by the desire that people in the pews would be overwhelmed anew (or perhaps for the first time) and moved to surrender their whole lives to Jesus in faith so that they could be mobilized for mission. 

It bore immense fruit! When we were out there, we heard testimonies from the Archbishop himself, various priests and lay faithful from across the Archdiocese on how much of an impact this made on them personally and in the Church at large. Why? Because the gospel is the power of God (cf. Rom 1:16). 

With all of this in mind, it’s not too early for those of us who are pastors or serve in parish ministry to start thinking about Lent.  Perhaps more of us will be inspired by the priest who saw such fruit in his parish, and the Archbishop, who has seen so much fruit in his archdiocese, to prayerfully consider preaching the kerygma at Mass in our parishes in just the same way.