Win, Build, Send

In his intervention during the synod’s proceedings last week, Curtis Martin, American founder and president of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, shared the three-step process FOCUS missionaries follow in order to form student disciples:

Win: We, who have encountered Jesus, go out and love people, because Christ first loved us. In the midst of our friendships with them, we introduce them to our greatest friend, Jesus.

Build: Once they have encountered Jesus, we build them up in the knowledge and practice of the faith. There is a crisis of faith and many Catholics have not embraced the teachings of the Church, they do not know that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, or of the inerrancy of Sacred Scripture. They have not accepted the difficult teachings, such as Humanae Vitae; without the fullness of Catholic faith, authentic renewal is impossible. We must be transformed.

Send: As these young disciples grow in their practice of the faith, they are sent out, with our continued care, to begin the process anew. Holiness will take a lifetime, but the work of evangelization can begin shortly after an authentic encounter with Jesus; think of the Samaritan woman at the well.

Perhaps we can take this “Win, Build, Send” process with us into our parishes and workplaces, forming personal relationships with others and inviting them to grow with us as disciples of Jesus Christ and evangelizers of His Word. 

Check back next week for a final analysis of the Synod and the results.