1

Pathways to Discipleship: Serving Jesus

Session 1: Ministry

Serving Jesus: Ministry

2

With Jesus as our model and guide, we grow spiritually on our journey as disciples striving to serve others as Jesus did.

Welcome to

Pathway Three

Serving Jesus

​

Serving Jesus: Ministry

3

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, your children, give You our heartfelt thanks for all Your goodness and kindness to us.

​

We bless You for creating us and preserving us in life. Above all, we bless You for the bountiful love You have shown the world in sending Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that we might not perish but have eternal life.

​

We thank You for the teaching of His Gospel; for the power of His Cross; for the sacramental signs of His grace in the present life; and for the sure hope of eternal life with Him.

OPENING PRAYER (Prayer of Thanksgiving)

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

4

In Jesus' name and for His sake, we ask You, dear Father, to send Your Holy Spirit upon us to give us due appreciation of all Your mercies so that our hearts may truly be thankful. Grant that Your praises may ever be upon our lips and in our lives.

​

May we give ourselves to Your service in serving others and walk before You humbly and gratefully all our days: through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

5

Our hope for this session:

• Learn how Jesus served others
• Minister by being prayerful, welcoming, encouraging, and generous

In this session we learn how we may live the 7^th and 8^th Habits of a Disciple:

• Serves others through acts of mercy
• Welcomes visitors and newcomers.

Pathways to Discipleship

TIPS FOR A FRUITFUL DISCUSSION

† Give attention to honesty, openness, and respect for other people’s viewpoints and feelings.

† All discussions should be kept confidential within the group.

† Participation should be at each person’s comfort level.

† Before sharing a second time, allow others time to contribute to the conversation.

† Remember that listening is just as important as sharing.

† When prompted to speak, you may have received a message from the Holy Spirit, for you or others in the group. Please consider sharing.

† Keep the discussion focused on the spiritual.

Serving Jesus: Ministry

6

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

7

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

8

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

9

HOW JESUS MINISTERS

​

​

• Through healing
• Meeting people where they were
• Giving them what they needed most

Pathways to Discipleship

JESUS PRAYS FOR OTHERS

Serving Jesus: Ministry

10

• Praying over those he healed
• Praying before working miracles
• Praying for and with his disciples

Pathways to Discipleship

JESUS WELCOMES

Serving Jesus: Ministry

11

• He made people feel comfortable and safe
• He welcomed the rejected
• He served without judging

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…”

(Eph 4:32)

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

12

• Take a moment to reflect on the opening video. What is your response to the testimony? Share your thoughts with the group.
• Share a time when you observed someone praying for or ministering to another. Has that experience changed the way you pray, deepened your relationship with God or encouraged you to pray for or minister to others? If so, how?
• Share a time when you felt particularly welcomed into a group, ministry or someone’s home. What did they do to make you feel welcome?
• Share any approaches used to invite and welcome new people to communities or ministries in which you are involved.

Pathways to Discipleship

JESUS IS GENEROUS

Serving Jesus: Ministry

13

Jesus modeled:

• being a servant to those outside of his circle
• being a servant to closest friends

When we are generous like Jesus, we offer our very self to alleviate the needs of another.

Pathways to Discipleship

JESUS ENCOURAGES

Serving Jesus: Ministry

14

Jesus’ example helps us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus encourages us to:

• “sin no more” (John 8:11)
• grow spiritually
• discern how and where we are called to serve

​

Pathways to Discipleship

BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE MINISTER

Serving Jesus: Ministry

15

Prayerful, Welcoming, Encouraging and Generous

• Cultivate patience, courage, trust, and perseverance
• Minister first within family…
• Then parish or broader community
• Ask for God’s guidance (How might I best serve? To whom?)

​

Pathways to Discipleship

BL. FRANCIS SOLANUS CASEY (1870-1957)

Serving Jesus: Ministry

16

• Capuchin monk
• Humble servant to the poor and sick
• Porter and sacristan
• Sought out daily for his blessing and counsel
• Characterized as having “a divine love” for people

​

Pathways to Discipleship

Serving Jesus: Ministry

17

• What are some ways to cultivate deeper relationships with others in our daily lives or ministries? What might be some obstacles and how can they be overcome?
• “For everything there is a season” (Eccl 3:1). What season of life are you in now and what ministry or ministries seem appropriate to you at this time? How have your callings or interests to specific ministries changed over the seasons of your life?
• Blessed Solanus challenges us to “foster confidence in God and thank Him ahead of time for whatever he chooses to send us." How can we overcome perceived or real limitations that might keep us from generously ministering to others according to the example of Blessed Solanus?

Pathways to Discipleship

DISCIPLESHIP NEXT STEP

For your consideration this week:

​

What ideas on welcoming have you heard in this session that you can use in your life?

​

What suggestions can you bring to your ministries or organizations to create a more welcoming environment for visitors or newcomers?

Serving Jesus: Ministry

18

Pathways to Discipleship

REMINDERS FOR NEXT SESSION

​

Serving Jesus: Ministry

19

• Read or listen to Session 2: Intercessory Prayer before our meeting next Monday.
• Please consider bringing a snack to share for next time. Thank you to those who brought snacks this time.
• If you would like to go deeper on Ministry, check out our additional resources here:

​

​

​

Pathways to Discipleship

CLOSING PRAYER

​

​

​

Serving Jesus: Ministry

20

Lord, we give You thanks for all the ways Your holiness shines forth in the humble life of Blessed Solanus Casey. Help us to not simply admire him but to learn from him – so we too may become like him, open to all the graces You offer us on our earthly pilgrimage.

Help us to imitate his faith-filled example of humble service, so that we and our weary world will know the blessings of greater peace, greater hope, and joy.

This we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Blessed Solanus Casey, pray for us.

Pathways to Discipleship