Brandon Vogt's Blog, page 12

Learning from a Saint Who Was Elected Bishop Before Baptism

Today we continue our regular series called “Learning from the Saints.” Our guide is expert Bert Ghezzi, a dear friend of mine and the author of numerous books including Voices of the Saints, Saints at Heart, and Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Jesus.

His more recent books are The Power of Daily Mass and The Heart of Catholicism. You can learn more about Bert and his work at BertGhezzi.com.

Today, Bert profiles St. Ambrose, the saint who had a tremendous influence on St. Augustine’s conversion and who is celebrated as the patron of learning, students, and domestic animals.

 

 

“Ambrose for bishop!” someone shouted, and the whole assembly picked up the chant. St. Ambrose was flabbergasted. He was only a catechumen, thus not yet baptized, and had no desire to become bishop. As the governor, he had come to church to pacify the Catholics and the Arian party as they chose a new bishop for Milan. Ambrose tried to evade the election, but the people prevailed. He was first baptized, then a week later was consecrated bishop on December 7, 374.

Ambrose’s first action as bishop was to divest himself of his wealth. He gave his money to the poor and his property to the church. He appointed St. Satyrus, his brother, to be his administrator, so that he could focus on the spiritual welfare of his people. Realizing that his Christian education was incomplete, he immersed himself in the study of Scripture and the church fathers.

As bishop, Ambrose modeled prayer, kindness and holiness for his flock. His door was always open, and every day people lined up for his help and counsel. When St. Augustine visited Milan in 386, Ambrose was instrumental in his conversion, probably as much by his witness as by his words.

In his extensive writings in defense of the faith, Ambrose successfully used his classical education to give rational explanations of Christian truths. But his teaching always had a practical side, as the following selection shows:

“Perhaps you wonder, ‘Why are the wicked joyous? why do they live in luxury? why don’t they have to strive like I do?’

 

“The reason is that they who have not signed up to strive for the crown are not required to undergo the labors of the contest Those who haven’t gone down to the track don’t smear themselves with oil, nor get covered with dust. Trouble comes only to those on their way to glory. The perfumed spectators prefer to watch, not to join in the struggle, nor to endure the sun, the heat, the dust, and the rain.

 

“So those who have devoted themselves to pleasures, luxury, robbery, gain or honors are spectators rather than combatants. They have the profit of labor but the not the fruits of virtue. They love their ease. By cunning and wickedness they heap up riches. But they will pay the penalty of their iniquity, though it be late in coming. Their rest will be in hell, yours in paradise. Thus, Job said beautifully that they watch in the tomb (see Job 21:32), for they cannot have the calm of quiet rest that he enjoys who shall rise again.”

St. Ambrose was embroiled in the high politics of the Roman Empire. He resisted the attempts of powerful Arians to get control of church buildings. And within a decade he had purged the Arian heresy from Milan. In 383, the Empress Justina sent him on a diplomatic mission to prevent the usurper Maximus from attacking Rome. Ambrose successfully persuaded him to confine himself to Gaul, Spain and Britain. When the Christian emperor Theodosius had 7,000 Thessalonians executed as a reprisal, Ambrose required him to do public penance. He once said, “The emperor is in the church, not over it,” and he stuck by it.

St. Ambrose died on Good Friday, 397.

“O God, Creation’s secret Force,

Yourself unmov’d, all motion’s source,

Who from the morn till evening’s ray,

Through all its changes guid’st the day:

 

Grant us, when this short life is past,

The glorious evening that shall last:

That by a holy death attain’d

Eternal glory may be gain’d.”

 

— St. Ambrose

 

 

Adapted from Bert Ghezzi, Voices of the Saints (BertGhezzi.com)

 

 

(Image Credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

Read more from Bert at his website www.BertGhezzi.com, or check out his many books on Amazon.

The post Learning from a Saint Who Was Elected Bishop Before Baptism appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

The Man Who Baptized 700,000 People

Born in 1506 in Navarre, Spain, Francis Xavier was the youngest son of a wealthy state official. Although his brothers joined the army, Francis studied law and theology at the University of Paris, where he also met St. Ignatius of Loyola, the eventual founder of the Jesuits. Ignatius shared with Francis a dream of creating a group of men wholly devoted to the salvation of souls. On August 15, 1534, along with Francis and five others, Ignatius launched the community. The men took vows of lifelong poverty and service to the Pope. Six years later, those vows were invoked when King John III of Portugal petitioned the Pope to send missionaries to the East.

The Pope assented and chose Francis to lead the effort. After just two days notice, the young Jesuit sailed from Lisbon to Goa, the capital of the Portuguese Indies, where he began his missionary work preaching to pearl fishermen. After two years of successful evangelization, he sailed to other regions, preaching and baptizing at an astounding rate. Records attribute more than 700,000 conversions to the tireless missionary:

“…[S]o great were the multitudes which he baptized, that sometimes, by the bare fatigue of administering that sacrament, he was scarce able to move his arm.”

In spite of constant weariness and sickness, Francis sailed across Asia, baptizing and evangelizing. He went from India, to Malaysia, to Sri Lanka. On August 15, 1549, fifteen years to the day after his initial vows, Francis landed in Japan, becoming the first Catholic missionary to enter that country. He preached to the natives there and when they told him about China, he wanted to head there too. Unfortunately, Francis fell ill and died on December 3, 1552, a few miles off the Chinese coast.

St. Francis Xavier’s remarkable life models the “new ardor” required by the New Evangelization. His unshakeable zeal, triggered by the Holy Spirit, carried him through vast lands and tiresome travels. He never let difficulties overcome his zeal. He resolved to introduce people to the Risen Lord no matter what it took.

Today, on his feast day, we can let St. Francis’ example inspire us to overcome our own obstacles to evangelization. You can ask, what’s stopping me from sharing my faith more often? How can I overcome the fear, difficulty, or hesitancy that often bubbles up when thinking about evangelization? By imploring the intercession of St. Francis, and invoking the same Holy Spirit which fueled his success, we too can participate in the epic missionary adventure.

 

 

This article was adapted from the Study Guide for CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization. Article cross-posted at WordOnFire.org.

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For the Last Time in Forever… (aka Vogt Karaoke Night)

What would it take to convince me to belt out songs from Frozen?

Turns out, just a couple of cute kids.

Isaiah (6) and Teresa (5) decided to have Vogt Karaoke night a couple weeks ago. And (of course) they each chose a show-stopping ballad from Frozen.

Isaiah and I joined forces to lip-sync his song (and the tired boy could barely stay awake for that):

 

But during Teresa’s turn, the lip-syncing grew into full-blown karaoke:

Oh, the joys of fatherhood

Got any karaoke videos of you or your family? Share them in the comments! I’d love to see them. Please tell me I’m not alone.

The post For the Last Time in Forever… (aka Vogt Karaoke Night) appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Can I mail you a FREE book?

Yesterday I shared with you new my newest project, RETURN, which is full of resources to lead your son or daughter back to the Church.

Well, here’s some more good news:

I want to mail you a FREE paperback copy of one of the best-selling Catholic books of 2015. (I’ll even cover the shipping!)

If you buy the RETURN Complete Game Plan before tonight (Wednesday, 11/18 at 11:59pm), I’ll throw in a FREE copy of Matthew Kelly’s new book, Rediscover Jesus.

Send me the RETURN Complete Game Plan + my book!

Already purchased the Game Plan? Don’t worry. I’ll send you a copy, too. Once again, I hope you like getting free stuff

If you don’t know Matthew Kelly, he’s the author of several great books including Rediscover Catholicism which—get this—is the best-selling Catholic book in American history outside of the Bible (!!). It’s sold over a million copies!

Rediscover Jesus is the sequel and was designed to help people who have dismissed Jesus to experience a real, personal encounter with him. In other words, it’s the perfect book to give your fallen-away child (or to read yourself!)

When Rediscover Jesus launched, it climbed into the top 100 books on all of Amazon. It’s that good! For several weeks it was the #1 best-selling Catholic book in the world.

And I want to send it to you. For FREE.

Just order your RETURN Complete Game Plan today and I’ll toss in a copy:

Click here → ReturnGameplan.com

Can’t wait to send you the book!

The post Can I mail you a FREE book? appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

3 Ways You Can Use Pope Francis to Lead People Back to the Church

This is an excerpt from my big new project, RETURN: How To Draw Your Child Back to the Church, which you can find at ReturnGameplan.com. There are only a couple days left to get the special launch-week pricing and three special bonuses. Click here to learn more!

 

 

It was only a couple months after Pope Francis was elected in 2013 that people began talking about the “Francis effect.” The media showered attention on him. Facebook affirmed he was the most mentioned name on their website—more than any celebrity such as Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift. On Twitter, where Pope Francis has gained over 7 million followers, his tweets are now retweeted (i.e., shared) more times on average than the tweets of any other world leader—even more than the President of the United States.

The “Francis effect” extends beyond social media. A recent Pew survey found that among U.S. adults, roughly seven-in-ten express a favorable view of Pope Francis, with about 90% of Catholics giving him a favorable rating. One viral online article carried the title “Pope Francis Made My Mom Stop Hating Catholicism” and it explained how the pontiff’s example smoothed over a lifetime of anti-Catholic prejudices.

Another person shared the following story:

“Most of my extended family members aren’t practicing Catholics. But last year at my sister’s wedding, several family members approached me wanting to talk about Pope Francis, having heard so much about him in the news…I had the joyful confidence to share with them how Pope Francis’ moving gestures remind me of all the wonderful charitable works of service the Church provides for millions of people around the world. In the end, I think they left feeling warmer toward the Catholic Church than they had in a long time. And that’s a great place to start!”

Pope Francis is, as Bishop Barron has described, “the bomb.”

Which is great news if you have a fallen-away family member or friend, who has drifted from the Church. Even if your family member or friend has a low perception of the Catholic Church, chances are he still has a high opinion of Pope Francis.

If he’s like most Americans, he sees Pope Francis as a positive change for the Church. And if he’s a young person, he likely gets behind Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy, serving the poor, and protecting the environment. In fact, the most common words used to describe Pope Francis—compassionate, humble, and open-minded—are all traits that especially appeal to young Millennials.

So how can you use the “Francis effect” to help lead fallen-away Catholics back to the church? Here are a few practical tips:

First, use Pope Francis to initiate conversations about faith. You might say, “I’ve been wondering, even though you haven’t been to Mass in a while, what do you think about Pope Francis?” You can then follow up with more questions, drilling deeper into what he likes or doesn’t like about the Pope. This will yield valuable information because his answers will likely reveal his own problems and concerns with Catholicism.

For example, if he says he really admires the way that Pope Francis cares for the poor, he may be insinuating that the Catholics he knows don’t exhibit that same compassion, and he’s turned off by this discrepancy. Therefore, discovering what he likes and dislikes about Pope Francis can help identify his major stumbling blocks to returning to the Church.

A second strategy is to give your child a good biography of Pope Francis, such as Austen Ivereigh’s The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope (Henry Holt, 2014) or perhaps his book-length interview titled A Big Heart Open to God: A Conversation with Pope Francis (HarperOne, 2013).

You don’t want to come across as proselytizing, as if you’re saying, “Here, read this so I can convert you!” Instead, as with the previous tip, simply pass on the book and say, “Hey, I found this great book on Pope Francis, and since everyone is talking about him, I’d be curious to hear what you think.” As before, listen carefully to his reaction to Pope Francis and the book, because chances are it will reveal his feelings toward (and his struggles with) Catholicism.

Finally, you might find and share a good Pope Francis quote. There are plenty on Pope Francis’ Twitter account, as well as the Facebook page Pope Tweets. As before, don’t just send the quote by itself, which may come across as passive-aggressive proselytizing. Instead, send the quote along with a comment that says, “What do you think about this? And what do you think about Pope Francis, in general?”

We Catholics have been given an extraordinary opportunity. Pope Francis has drawn the world’s attention to the Church. It’s one of the few times in recent memory that the world is talking about Catholicism, and not just because of scandal.

So let’s take advantage of this time and use Pope Francis as a real pontifex, a bridge by which people can journey back to the Church.

 

 

This is an excerpt from my big new project, RETURN: How To Draw Your Child Back to the Church, which you can find at ReturnGameplan.com. There are only a couple days left to get the special launch-week pricing and three special bonuses. Click here to learn more!

 

 

The post 3 Ways You Can Use Pope Francis to Lead People Back to the Church appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Learning from a Martyred Social Justice Innovator

Today we continue our regular series called “Learning from the Saints.” Our guide is expert Bert Ghezzi, a dear friend of mine and the author of numerous books including Voices of the Saints, Saints at Heart, and Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Jesus.

His more recent books are The Power of Daily Mass and The Heart of Catholicism. You can learn more about Bert and his work at BertGhezzi.com.

Today, Bert profiles St. Roque Gonzalez, S.J. and his companions, who served the Indians in Paraguay and ushered a new understanding of social justice.

 

 

“All the Christians among my countryman loved the Father and grieved for his death because he was the father of us all, and so he was called by the Indians of the Paraná River.” So testified Chief Guarecupi of the Guarani tribe after the martyrdom of Jesuit Roque González and his companions in Paraguay in 1628. The Indians loved him because they had felt his love for them and their ways. And they knew that for two decades he had sacrificed everything to improve their lives both materially and spiritually.

At a time when Spanish conquistadors were brutalizing and enslaving natives, St. Roque helped them become self-sufficient and free. He led the Jesuits who founded the “reductions,” independent Indian village communities that excluded European settlers. The economy of the reductions made the Indians self-supporting by combining communal agriculture with private property holding. And the reductions had their own political structure that gave the natives a measure of freedom.

Roque González was the innovative social activist who created the model for these avant-garde communities. Here is his description of Saint Ignacio, the first reduction that he established in 1613:

“This town had to be built from its very foundations. In order to do away with occasions of sin, I decided to build it in the style of the Spaniards, so that everyone should have his own house, with fixed boundaries and a corresponding yard. This system prevents easy access from one house to another, which used to be the case and which gave occasion for drunken orgies and other evils.

 

“A church and parish house are being erected for our needs. Comfortable and enclosed with an adobe wall, the houses are built with cedar girders—cedar is very common wood here. We have worked hard to arrange all this. But with even greater zest and energy—in fact with all our strength—we have worked to build temples to Our Lord, not only those made by hands but spiritual temples as well, namely the souls of these Indians.

 

“On Sundays and feast days we preach during mass, explaining the catechism beforehand with equal concern for boys and girls. The adults are instructed in separate groups of about 150 men and the same number of women. Shortly after lunch, we teach them reading and writing for about two hours.”

 

“There are still many non-Christians in this town. Because of the demands of planting and harvesting all cannot be baptized at the same time. So every month we choose those best prepared for baptism. Among the 120 or so adults baptized this year there were several elderly shamans.”

Roque and other Jesuits built more than 30 reductions with an average population of 3,000.

In 1628, Roque and Jesuits Alonso Rodríguez and Juan de Castillo started a reduction on the Iijui River and another at Caaró on Brazil’s southern tip. Somehow they roused the hostility of a shaman who determined to exterminate all Jesuits. On November 15, his men tomahawked Roque and Alonso at Caaró. Two days later at Iijui they stoned Juan to death. Roque Gonzalez and his companions were canonized in 1988.

Roque Gonzalez’s creative social action not only made Christianity attractive to the Indians of Paraguay. It also impressed secular sophisticates like Voltaire, who had this high praise for Roque’s settlements: “The Paraguayan missions reached the highest degree of civilization to which it is possible to lead a young people. In those missions, law was respected, morals were pure, a happy brotherliness bound men together, the useful arts and even some of the more graceful sciences flourished, and there was abundance everywhere.”

 

 

(Image Credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

Read more from Bert at his website www.BertGhezzi.com, or check out his many books on Amazon.

The post Learning from a Martyred Social Justice Innovator appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

[VIDEO] 7 Practical Strategies to Help Your Child Return to the Church

Hope you’re enjoying the FREE 4-part video training on how to lead your child back to the Church!

Thousands of people have watched Videos #1 and #2, and downloaded the free eBooks, and already feel more confident and hopeful about their fallen-away children.

In Video #1, we focused on the problem. Video #2 revealed the seeds we must plant before our children return to the Church.

Today, in Video #3, you’ll learn seven practical strategies to help your child come back.

These tips are proven and powerful; I’ve seen them work again and again.

So click below to watch Video #3:

Click here → Watch Video #3 NOW!

In this video you’ll learn:

Why you should NOT start conversations with your child by discussing faith (and what to cover instead)
3 powerful questions to help your child start thinking about Catholic things
The best way to move conversations forward and discover your child’s main resistance to returning
How to close the loop and help your child off the proverbial fence so he can fully reconcile with the Church

And guess what? I have another free eBook for you!

That’s three free eBooks in the last week–hope you like free stuff….

[VIDEO] The 3 Things Fallen-Away Catholics Need

I hope you enjoyed Video #1 in my FREE 4-part video training on how to lead your child back to the Church.

In Video #1, we started with the problem. We discovered the most common reasons why young people leave the Church.

In Video #2, we’ll learn the first steps to drawing them back.

There are 3 things you need to do even before you start talking to them about faith. Many parents skip these 3 steps and don’t make any progress with their child.

I don’t want that to happen to you!

So click below to watch Video #2:

Click here → Watch Video #2 NOW!

In this video you’ll learn:

How to pray more effectively for your child (and what to do if you’re too BUSY to pray!)
The % of young people who were raised Catholic, but have since left
The ONE thing a former-Catholic needs way before he’s open to returning
The power of “seed gifts” and how they’ve led thousands of people back to the Church

I hope you downloaded the FREE eBook that went along with Video #1.

But guess what?

I have another free eBook for you!

Near the end of Video #2, I’ll show you how to download the “12 Best Seed Gifts” eBook. While Video #2 teaches you about “seed gifts,” the eBook reveals the best seed gifts around.

Just click the link below to watch Video #2 and get your eBook:

http://helpthemreturn.com/video-2-three-seeds-you-must-plant-in-your-childs-life

Thanks again! Enjoy the second video, the second eBook, and look for Video #3 in a few days!

PS. As before, PLEASE leave a comment on the video. I ask a question at the end of the video and I’m REALLY interested in your answer!

PPS. Don’t have a son or daughter who has left the Church? You’ll still enjoy the video, but I invite you to share it with someone who does have a fallen-away child. We all know someone like that in our parish, or family, or circle of friends. Help them out! Just point them to http://HelpThemReturn.com

The post [VIDEO] The 3 Things Fallen-Away Catholics Need appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

[VIDEO] The Top Reasons Why Young People Leave the Church….

It’s finally here! Today kicks off my FREE 4-part video training on how to lead your child back to the Church.

Today in Video #1, we start with the problem. If we don’t understand why young people leave, we can’t draw them back. That’s why I reveal the most common reasons they drift away from the Church. Click below to find out:

Click here → Watch Video #1 NOW!

In this video you’ll learn:

The ONE most common question I hear at Catholic conferences (you’re probably asking it yourself)
The % of young people who were raised Catholic, but have since left
4 of 5 drifters leave the Church before this age (hint: it’s very low)
The 3 most common reasons why former-Catholics have drifted away (from a survey of 30,000 people)

Near the end of the video, I’ll also give you a free eBook I wrote titled, “6 Main Types of Former Catholics”. It provides an even deeper understanding of why people leave the Church. So be sure to download your copy!

Just click the link below to watch Video #1:

https://helpthemreturn.com/video-1-why-your-child-has-left-the-church

I’ll send you Video #2 in a couple days, but until then, enjoy the first video!

PS. Don’t forget to leave a comment on the video! If you have a son or daughter who has left the Church, tell us why. Just watch the video and then leave a comment below!

PPS. Don’t have a son or daughter who has left the Church? You’ll still enjoy the video, but I invite you to share it with someone who does have a fallen-away child. We all know someone like that in our parish, or family, or circle of friends. Help them out! Just point them to http://HelpThemReturn.com

The post [VIDEO] The Top Reasons Why Young People Leave the Church…. appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Help Us Reach 125k+ Parents Tomorrow with This Online Catholic Flash Mob!

So, tomorrow’s the big day! I’ve been dropping hints over the last few weeks, but tomorrow is the day I finally launch my FREE 4-part video series on how to lead fallen-away young people back to the Church.

If your son or daughter has left the Church, or if you know someone in this position—and who doesn’t??—then you’ll definitely want to sign up for these videos:

http://HelpThemReturn.com

These videos were professionally filmed in full HD, and the tips will REALLY help distressing parents. I want to share them as widely as possible.

And that’s where I need your help!

I’m not asking you for money or time, but what I DO need is to tap into your social media influence. I’m using a neat tool called Thunderclap to promote these free videos.

Thunderclap is kind of like an online flash mob. It allows friends to “donate” a Facebook post or Twitter tweet, and then Thunderclap posts the same message, at the same time, on the same day, across everyone’s social media accounts.

I was originally hoping to get 50 close friends to join in and donate a message or tweet. But so far, over 125 friends have joined in and our combined social media reach is pushing 125,000 people (!!). That’s crazy!

Imagine a surge of Facebook and Twitter messages all pointing parents to these free videos. How awesome will that be?! It will ensure the parents who NEED these videos won’t miss them.

So you want in, too? Can you add YOUR circle of influence to the flash mob?

 



 

It doesn’t require anything from you other than a single Facebook post or tweet:

Click here → Yes! I’ll donate a Facebook post or Twitter tweet

I hate asking for money. But I’m okay asking friends like you to borrow a FB post or tweet

PLEASE, please help me out here. It’s simple and free for you, but it would mean the world to me.

Here’s all you have to do:

Visit this page: http://brandonvogt.com/thunderclap-free-videos
Choose whether to “Support with Facebook” or “Support with Twitter” or both (you rock!)

That’s it!

Next week, when the videos go live, not only will I send YOU the awesome videos, but Thunderclap will post a message/tweet on your account so that YOUR friends and followers can get them, too. No extra work on your part!

(Thunderclap will ONLY post that one message. After that, they won’t post any additional messages ever.)

Thanks so much, and together let’s help get these videos to the parents who need them!

PS. If you have a blog, I’d be THRILLED if you could also schedule a quick post for tomorrow (Tuesday, November 3), pointing people to HelpThemReturn.com. If you email me the post, I’ll share it on my accounts and send tons of extra traffic your way!

PPS. No Facebook? No Twitter? No blog? That’s okay! You can still help by emailing your friends or family a link to the FREE videos. Just share this link with them: http://HelpThemReturn.com. Thanks so much!!

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