[00:00:00] Jim Jansen: Hey everybody. Welcome to the Equip Cast, a weekly podcast for the Archdiocese of Omaha. I'm your host, Jim Jansen. Now let's dive into some encouragement and inspiration to equip you to live your faith and to be fruitful in your mission. Let's go.

Hey everybody. Welcome to the Kip Cast Coaches Quarter right breakdown, important topics to equip you and your team for mission. In your family, in your church, and in your ministry. So my name is Jim Jansen, and today I'm gonna talk about what do you do when your silver bullet fails? We've all tried it. A silver bullet program, uh, a silver bullet event.

Uh, maybe a silver bullet staff member, right? They're gonna fix everything. A communications campaign, a diet. It really doesn't matter what it is. We. Love silver bullets. And, and for those [00:01:00] of you who you maybe are not familiar with the cultural reference, a silver bullet is a reference to a too good to be true solution, uh, to a problem or a challenge.

Uh, and in movie mythology, I mean it is literally a silver bullet, uh, which can kill a werewolf or a vampire. We're not gonna be talking about werewolves or vampires at all today. I talk about life, right? Faith, families, parishes, we love silver bullets, but they almost always let us down because the real solution to the problem needs to be much more holistic, needs to be much more fundamental.

We really shouldn't be surprised that we're attracted to silver bullets. I mean, God's people have been looking for si silver bullets all through the ages. So I just wanna give you an example here. This is one of my favorite stories in the scripture. Uh, it's the story of the Israelites looking for a silver bullet.

Um, well in this case actually a golden bullet. Um, this is from First Samuel chapter four. Uh, hang in there, right? This is first Samuel chapter four. I'm gonna, I'm gonna read it at length here, [00:02:00] verses one through 11. So at that time, the Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel. Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer.

While the Philistines camped at effect, the Philistines drew up in battle formation against Israel. After a fear struggle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines who killed about 4,000 men on the battlefield. When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said, why has the Lord permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines?

Let us fe the Ark of the Lord from Shiloh, that it may go into battle among us and save us from the grasp of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the Ark of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned upon the Cher, him, the two sons of Eli Hockney and Phineas accompanied the Ark of God.

When the Ark of the Lord arrived in the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook the Philistines hearing. The uproar asked, what does this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean [00:03:00] on learning that the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp? The Philistines were frightened, crying out Gods have come to their camp.

Woe to us. This has never happened before. Woe to us who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with various plagues in the desert. Take courage and act like soldiers, Philistines. Otherwise, he will become slaves to the Hebrews as they were your slaves fight like soldiers.

So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated. Everyone fled to their own tents. It was a disastrous defeat. Israel lost 30,000 foot soldiers. The arc of God was captured and Eli's two sons, Hockney and Phineas were dead. Okay. Again, I love this story. If, if you're paying attention, if you're familiar with the context, it's really surprising.

I mean, this is the, you know, this is the same arc, uh, that just a few, you know, uh, a few [00:04:00] verses later has no problem defending itself. It's the same arc, um, right. I think Indiana Jones and the, uh, Raiders of the Lost Ark, I mean, it's the same arc that, you know, at one point. You know, two priests reach out to study it when it's being brought into Jerusalem and falling and they're immediately struck dead.

'cause they, you know, 'cause they touch the arc, uh, in the wrong way. I mean, it's. This, this is the power of God present for his people until the incarnation. And of course this is a foreshadowing, right of the incarnation 'cause you've got the, the staff of, um, Aaron High priest. You've got a jar of manna, you've got the broken tablets, the word of God from the 10 Commandments.

I mean, it's a foreshadowing of everything. That Jesus is going to be the word of God, the high priest, the bread of life. So I mean, this is God's presence. So what went wrong? What? Why did their silver, I mean in this case, gold, right? Why? Why did their golden bullet not work? Well, as you dig [00:05:00] into this, you realize they ask the right question, why did this happen?

But they don't ask God. They ask themselves and they don't give God a chance to speak again. Note the extreme enthusiasm. I mean, the whole ground shakes as they cheer. When the arc of God comes into the camp. And he's really present, but there's a problem. They're trying to use him without repentance. You see, the context of this story is that the Lord wants something for his people.

He wants something from his people. But they want something from him too. They want deliverance, they want life, they want freedom, but they don't bother to ask him what he wants. I think about the words of former quip, cast, guest, uh, father John Ricardo, right? The Lord has a plan for your parish, for your life, for your family.

He doesn't just want your good in [00:06:00] some vague, amorphous way. He actually has a plan to help you get there. So ask him. So I wanna ask you, what are your silver bullets? I mean, I don't know exactly what the Lord is asking of you. Um, but I can guess right in our personal lives, I, I know I've fallen in into the trap of like, well, if I just developed this devotion, if I just read this book or go on this retreat or conference without really developing a habit.

Of daily personal, relational, conversational prayer with the Lord. That's what really changes me. That's what he really wants. He wants intimacy with me. He wants to be my friend and trying everything else except for, you know, talking about the hard stuff with God. All the other stuff just ends up being a silver bullet.

Or in parenting, if we just get our kids to this camp, we just take this vacation together. Rather than actually doing the hard work [00:07:00] of slowing down and prioritizing and putting our family routines like meals and reading together, putting those things first to keep us connected. None of the other stuff will work. Or, wait for it…parishes. If we just get them to come to this parish program or this event without doing the hard work of actually accompanying people, getting to know them, hearing their stories, making personal invitations to next steps that fit their spiritual journey. Right? A la, like,  developing a clear path of discipleship, but without doing any of that hard work. The parish programs, the events, they just end up being silver bullets and they don't work.

So what do I do? Well, try this. Try repentance. Trust in his mercy. The Lord promises to be with us always, but especially when we set out to make disciples. [00:08:00] Want to zero in right on, on the uh, the kind of communal parish thing. 'cause that's part of the original context of this story, there's a communal challenge that the Israelites are feeling.

I think when you set out. To renew your parish, to begin to evangelize again, you have to expect conversion. If it doesn't involve some sort of conversion, some change of mind and heart and habit, some seeing anew of the Lord, some seeing anew of ourselves, some seeing anew of our neighbor, then it's probably a silver bullet.

Listen to the words of this is, these are old now. I mean, this is John Paul ii. Mission of the Redeemer. I'm not sure, I think this might be 1979. I mean, it's been a minute since he said this, but it's, it's still just as true today. This is John Paul II from Mission of the Redeemer, number 49. He says, A radical conversion in thinking is required in order to become missionary, [00:09:00] both for individuals and for entire communities.

The effectiveness of the church's organization's, movements, parishes, and apostolic works must be measured in light of this missionary imperative. I mean, wow. Right. A radical conversion in thinking is required in order to become missionary. I mean, that is the call to put it in kind of one, you know, in one word like that, the missionary conversion.

Um, that's, I mean, that has been the call now of the church since the second Vatican Council, the, you know, the, the papacy of John Paul ii, Benedict, the 16th, Francis, and now Leo. They're all being really con uh, consistent. But if I can quote, you know, one of my, uh, anonymous bishop friends who would say like, yeah, the church has been really consistent and pretty much all of us have been resisting.

We'll try anything. Except for talking to our neighbors except for [00:10:00] evangelizing, right? Listen to Pope Francis on this. He says, I hope that all communities of faith will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of pastoral and missionary conversion, which cannot leave things as they presently are.

Mere  administration can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be permanently in a state of mission. That's Pope Francis from Joy of the Gospel. Number 25. It's been the consistent call, John Paul ii Benedict, Francis Leo, all calling for the missionary conversion of the church. It's not that the programs and events and all the good things that we want to do don't have a place, but without that fundamental call.

Without that fundamental repentance and conversion learning again, to see the Lord anew, to see ourselves anew, and to see our neighbors anew, we're not gonna get anywhere. So trust in his mercy, he wants this more than we do, [00:11:00] and he's not worried about the, the shrinking of your parish or the disappearance of your favorite ministry nearly as much as we are.

Again, it's, it's mysterious. It's confusing, but. Pope Benedict talked about this way early. Um, I mean, before he was even Pope Benedict, he talked about seeing the church getting more small and more faithful. Again, in acts of the apostles, we see how persecution ends up leading to the gospel being shared.

Now, that's mysterious. I'm not advocating for persecution, I'm not advocating, uh, for the church shrinking in size and numbers. I'm just saying that, well, when the Lord allows it, there's a mystery there that maybe we don't need to resist as hard. We need to embrace it and let it lead us to that pastoral conversion that he's been calling for.

Alright, let's pray. Oh, father, have mercy on us. Uh, when we find ourselves in need. [00:12:00] Afraid, uh, feeling persecuted. Um, worried for our family, our children, ourselves, our parish communities have mercy on us. Lord, grant us the grace to turn to you. Um. Not just as a silver bullet, uh, to come to rescue us, but help us to turn to you with contrite hearts to experience the grace of, uh, missionary and pastoral conversion.

Lord, open our hearts and our minds that we can hear what you're truly asking and what you desire for us, and so that we can experience the full and complete deliverance you desire for us. Amen. All. What are your thoughts? You can respond back in the chat@quipomaha.org. Thanks everybody. Thanks for listening to the Quip Cast.

We hope this episode has inspired you to live your faith and equip you to be fruitful in your mission. Stay connected with us by going to equip do omaha.org. [00:13:00] God bless and see you next time.