Jesus
The Story You Thought You Knew
Jesus
The Story You Thought You Knew
Deacon Keith Strohm
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Huntington, Indiana 46750
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
Quotations from papal and other Vatican-generated documents available on vatican.va are copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
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Copyright © 2017 by Keith Strohm. Published 2017.
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Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.,
200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750; 1-800-348-2440
ISBN: 978-1-68192-076-4 (Inventory No. T1820)
eISBN: 978-1-68192-078-8
LCCN: 2017930526
Cover design: Lindsey Riesen
Cover art: Renata Sedmakova/Shutterstock.com
Interior design: Dianne Nelson
Printed in the United States of America
About the Author
Deacon Keith Strohm is the former director of the Office for the New Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Chicago. A well-known international speaker, he has helped tens of thousands of men and women hear the gospel message and encounter the mercy, love, and power of Jesus Christ. Deacon Keith has extensive experience in creating and sustaining processes and programs of evangelization and formation at the group, parish, and diocesan levels that focus on the making, maturation, and missioning of disciples of Jesus Christ. He is also the executive director of M3 Ministries (www.m3catholic.com) and a longtime teacher and collaborator with the Catherine of Siena Institute. He is a co-author, along with six other collaborators, with Sherry Weddell for the book Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples—a follow-up to the bestselling book Forming Intentional Disciples. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithStrohm.
dedication
To my wife, Debbie, and my daughter, Siena, who sacrificed countless hours with me so that this book could be completed.
&
To Sherry Weddell, for inspiration, mentoring, and, most of all, friendship throughout these past sixteen years.
THE REDEEMER OF MAN, Jesus Christ,
is the center of the universe and of history.
—St. John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, March 4, 1979
Acknowledgments
Having an extensive background in publishing, I know that every book is a team effort. Despite that knowledge, I’m always surprised at the blood, sweat, and tears that are involved when I am the author. This book emerged out of my experience leading parish missions and evangelization-focused retreats. For inspiration, support (both technical and spiritual), and feedback, without which this book would not have made it past the idea stage, I’d like to thank the following people:
Sherry Weddell, Katherine Coolidge, and Bobby Vidal, for countless hours spent talking, challenging each other, brainstorming, and praying about the need for our people to have a deeper encounter with the kerygma.
Kristin Bird, Father Matt Bozovsky, Rachel Espinoza, Coleen Hamilton, Sarah Kaczmarek, Julianne Stanz, and (again) Bobby Vidal, who read parts of the manuscript and provided commentary, correction, support, and theological insight.
All of the members of the Forming Intentional Disciples forum on Facebook for great conversation and the insight that comes with trying to apply principles of evangelization to real life situations and contexts, and all of the pastors and parish communities that have invited me to lead them through an experience of the Great Story of Jesus, whether through a retreat, day of reflection, or parish mission.
Last, but certainly not least, the incredible team at Our Sunday Visitor, who guided this book through every stage and made it so much better than I could have ever imagined—especially Cindy Cavnar, for believing in the idea and helping me get it launched; Greg Willits, for understanding my crazy schedule and not panicking; and my incredible editor, Mary Beth Baker, whose ability to see from the author’s perspective and her editorial skill took the blunt prose that I offered and sharpened it immensely.
Table of Contents
Jesus: The Embodiment of the Kingdom
Jesus: The Kingdom in Word and Deed