Event emphasizes Christ’s mission of rescuing souls

Allied Forces’ successful D-Day landing on the beaches of France was the turning point that determined the outcome in the European theater of World War II, observed Fr. John Riccardo.  Similarly, he continued, Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection were the decisive blow in God’s battle to save humanity in its cosmic struggle against its ancient foe, the Devil.

D-Day took place on June 6, 1944, but many brutal battles had to be fought until Axis forces surrendered on May 8, 1945. The Church is in an analogous situation now, Fr. Riccardo detailed during the Rescue Live gathering on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Wichita’s Century II Exhibition Hall, which drew more than 1,100 people from upwards of 50 parishes and other ministries.

“Jesus has already defeated the power of death,” Fr. Riccardo said. He’s already defeated the power of sin. He’s already defeated the power of Satan. He hasn’t destroyed them yet. We’re in the intermediate time. That makes our work all the more important.”

That work is to help Christ in his mission to rescue souls, Fr. Riccardo said, and throughout the day he cited a passage from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity: “Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.”

But, he emphasized, sabotage on Christ’s behalf relies on spiritual armaments. “The weapons we use are love, truth, goodness, beauty, integrity, character, and forgiveness,” Fr. Riccardo said.

The overriding mission is twofold, he explained, and entails an internal mission of personal holiness, from which flows an external mission of attracting others to the Lord. The primary actors in that mission, he posited, are the laity. 

“It’s you who are not in collars or veils,” Fr. Riccardo said. “You are the ones who interact with the people who don’t come to church. Many people will never cross the threshold of a church on their own, but they’ll come to your house because you cook well, you’re fun to be with, they like you, and then you will bring them to us eventually.”

Diocese of Wichita Vicar for Evangelization, Stewardship, and Discipleship Fr. Jarrod Lies suggested the ACTS XXIX team that put on Rescue Live brought a torch that event attendees would continue to burn with new fuel, method, and ministry. “We are inviting you into this. Why? Because you are so good,” he said. “The two words for today are ‘gratitude’ and ‘gift.’ You are not the receiver. You are the gift.”

As Bishop Carl Kemme prepared to offer his blessing, he assured the assembled of his prayers. “My task is to send you forth, as we do at every Mass, to go back home, to where you work, to go where you live out the faith and grace that you have been given,” he said. “I send you out now to discern and pray about what you have heard today and to begin to ask the Holy Spirit what you are called to do.”

Ready to go

As they departed, attendees Lisa Swayne and Arlene Reekie, both from St. Michael Parish in Mulvane, said they were buoyed by the experience.

“I feel more hopeful,” Reekie said. “It was a celebration of community that helped to get everyone on the same page.”

Swayne pointed to Fr. Riccardo’s citation of the Lord’s words in the gospel about not hiding one’s light under a bushel. 

“To come together face-to-face without all the electronics and hear about being a lamp – I am excited about going out there and doing ministry . . . I wear my armor proudly, and I am ready to go spread the word of God.”

That was also the common theme among a trio of college students – Kaelyn Schroeder and Isabella Porter from St. Paul University Parish at Wichita State and Ellie Stewart from Emporia State University and St. Thomas Aquinas in Wichita. 

“I am just on fire, ready to go,” Porter said as they walked from the venue to the parking lot. “I feel the diocese is already moving forward, and I think this will keep fueling the fire.”

“It’s a really great message for us in this period of our lives,” Stewart said. “God is love; you are sent out; spread the gospel.”

“I am ready to go spread the word,” Schroeder agreed.

As he and his wife, Stella, helped clean up and break down the hall after the event, Scott Canfield from Wichita’s Church of the Magdalen said the day’s overriding significance for him was the faithful’s responsibility to help people who did not yet know and love the Lord. 

“A lot of people here already believe,” he said. “When you hear the message expressed as profoundly as it was today, it raises the question about how we get it out there, because so few have the opportunity to hear it this way. We’ve got to figure out how to get the message to more people.”

After Rescue Live: some suggestions for living out the mission

By Audrey Ronnfeldt

If you were among the 1,100 people who gathered for Rescue Live – or if you wish you could have been there – you have probably been asking a simple question: Now what? The mission isn’t over. In fact, it is just getting started.

The answer is simple but not easy: relationship. Rescue Live wasn’t meant to be an event – it was an invitation to a deeper friendship with our Lord. So what can we do next? Here are a few practical ways to stay engaged and keep growing as disciples and training as evangelizers.

• Be with him – Everything begins in relationship. Spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration. Sit before him. Listen. Let his presence renew your strength and shape your heart for mission. Learn more about Eucharistic adoration and find an adoration chapel in our diocese by visiting https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/adoration/.

• Go deeper with The Rescue Project – If you want to go deeper, try The Rescue Project by Fr. John Riccardo and ACTS XXIX. It unpacks God’s story – created, captured, rescued, response – in a way that reignites faith and gives you language to share it with others. It can be found at https://rescueproject.us/.

• Read Rescued – In Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel, Fr. Riccardo unpacks God’s love story with clarity and passion. It’s a short read that will change how you see your life and mission.  

• Listen and learn – “The Rescue Challenge Podcast” – offers bite-sized encouragement to live your faith boldly. The “You Were Born for This Podcast” is full of reflections and real-life stories of how God is moving and sending us out. Visit https://www.actsxxix.org/podcasts

• Share the story – You don’t need a pulpit, merely a willing heart. Invite someone to coffee, adoration, Mass, or to join you for The Rescue Project. Tell them what Jesus has done for you.

As Fr. Riccardo reminded us, “We were rescued for a reason.” Let’s live that reason – together.

Audrey Ronnfeldt is director of stewardship for the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.