You Shall Know Them By Their Fruits.

Over the centuries, God had always called up new men and women to bring new life to the Church.  From the early Benedictines in the sixth century; to the Dominicans and Franciscans in the Middle Ages; to the Jesuits at the time of the Protestant Reformation, God has used new forms of zeal and community advance Catholic life.  

The 20th century saw an explosion of new Catholic forms of life, both before and after Vatican II, such as Opus Dei, Focolare, the Christian Life Movement, as well as the Neocatechumenal Way.  Each has a unique mission and all serve the Church by re-energizing Catholics who've grown cold in a culture that feeds the senses and starves the spirit. 

One of the most dynamic of life and service to the Church is the Neocatechumenal Way.  The Way started in Spain in the years after Vatican II and focused on the service to the poor.  Later, the Way developed into a complete way of life and on-going formation in Christian living based on the catechumenate - the period of basic instruction in the Christian faith of the Early Church.  Bishops and Parish Pastors view the Way as a means to advance the new evangelization.  Today the Way has hundreds of communities across the globe, including scores of Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) missionary seminaries.  Families in the Way often go on missions themselves and engage in extraordinary Christian generosity. 

Young men from many places were sent to countries such as the Ukraine, India, Finland, South Africa, and Japan.  They let go of attachments to home, family relationships, friends, and work for the sake of doing the will of God in service to His Church.  This may sound very strange to some, but in Jewish and Christian history, it is not. 

Abraham left his country of Ur and started walking to an unknown place where God would fulfill His promises to him.  God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt.  The Apostles and their companions carried the Gospel to the nations, and this same kind of movement of the Spirit has driven our missionaries out into the world as well.  In fact, American history is full of stories of missionary work, and this time of great change for the Church today is no different. 

Christ said "you shall know them by their fruits."  The Neocatechumenal Way (among many others) have born fruits.  They have produced priests and nuns, missionaries as well as mission families.  The communities have produced fruits with families being open to life and people in the service of the Church.