Last week Marianne wrote about the very beginning of the path (Service) to discipleship here at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. If you are not familiar with the path to discipleship here it is pretty simple. To get started you just need to remember STEPS. Serve, Tithe, Engage, Practice, Share (STEPS).

The first reading this week reminds us of the importance of the third step: Engage. St. Peter exhorts the crowd “they were cut to the heart, and they asked…‘What are we to do, my brothers?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized.’” We too are offered a challenge. We are presented with the Gospel with discipleship with Jesus Christ and offered the very life of God in the Eucharist. Are we cut to the heart like the people in the reading from Acts today? Are we aware of our shortcomings in contrast to the gifts God desires to give us?

Perhaps you are. As baptized Catholics we have rights and privileges. We have access to God in ways no other people have had before in the history of the world. When we pray God hears us and listens to us as a father or mother, their son or daughter. As adopted sons and daughters of God we are given divine life to empower us to live as little Christ’s. The challenging part is not the rights and privileges, but what comes as a result of those rights and privileges: responsibility.

With great power comes responsibility. Or as scripture would have it “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” (Luke 12:48) We can’t shirk the responsibility that comes at baptism (and even more so at Confirmation); it's there whether we like it or not. So how do we respond? At OLPH in that third step on the path to discipleship we invite people to “Engage” in their faith by joining a small group.

Small groups are a place where we can dig into the readings from Sunday. We pray, discuss, ask questions, and share life with other people in our community. These little “schools of discipleship” are perfect for engaging in the faith in a way that is relevant to our life. Small groups are where members grow in their relationship with God, build great friendships that support one another in Christ centered living, and are prepared to bring God and His love into every little part of their lives.

I want to challenge you to ENGAGE in your faith and join a small group. We are starting a message series on the Eucharist that will go from the second week of May (5/7) till the second week of June (6/11). You can expect the following from our groups each week:

• Fellowship
• Prayer
• Discussion on the readings and how it relates to our lives
• Meetings typically last between 45-90 minutes depending on the week.

For more information or help signing up please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 856-667-8850, ext. 107. You may sign-up online by visiting our website here . Please see the current schedule of small groups below.

WEEKLY SMALL GROUPS

MON: 1pm Women's Group
MON: 7pm Co-Ed
TUE: 9:45am Co-Ed
TUE: 1pm Women's Group
TUE: 7pm Co-Ed
THU: 1pm Co-Ed
THU: 7pm Men's Group THU 7pm Co-Ed