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Joe Paprocki on “8 Steps to Energize Your Faith”, Part Two on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Joe Paprocki joins Kris McGregor on Discerning Hearts to discuss his book Eight Steps to Energize Your Faith. Paprocki highlights the relational nature of faith, rooted in the Trinitarian image of God. He shares personal experiences as an introvert, especially during the isolation of the pandemic, to illustrate humanity’s inherent need for relationships and the importance of compassion, distinguishing it from empathy by noting that compassion leads to action. Paprocki connects these ideas to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, encouraging parents to recognize the compassionate nature of their everyday responsibilities.
Paprocki reflects on the joy found in generosity, sharing insights from biblical stories such as the wedding at Cana and the feeding of the 5,000 to illustrate God’s abundant grace. Generosity isn’t limited to financial resources but extends to time, talent, and presence.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
- The Relational Nature of God: How can you foster deeper relationships in your life to reflect the Trinitarian image of God?
- Living Compassion Through Action: What steps can you take to move beyond empathy and practice compassion through concrete acts of mercy?
- Participating in God’s Restorative Work: Where in your life can you contribute to repairing relationships or restoring hope in others?
- Generosity as a Reflection of Divine Abundance: How can you practice generosity in your daily life with your time, talents, and resources?
- The Gift of Stillness in the Spiritual Life: When can you make time to be still and simply rest in God’s presence this week?
You can find the book here.
From the book description:
“Act now to tap into the current of God’s loving grace.
While uncertainty and tough times are hallmarks of life, our current era feels more than a little unpredictable. And if we’re honest with ourselves, many of us are feeling uncertain about God’s plan. In times like these, we need a healthy boost of faith and a solid shot of inspiration to get through the day and lead us back to God. Pie-in-the-sky advice or overwrought platitudes won’t do. We need substantial, practical ways to fortify our souls.
In 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith, beloved spiritual teacher Joe Paprocki offers hands-on advice to guide us out of the fog of an often-confusing world and bolster our confidence in who we are—children of God with a vision and a purpose. This, of course, means growing in faith, but how? By tapping into God’s loving Spirit so we can go with the holy flow to put first things first and let the small stuff go.
Timely, inspiring, and filled with hard-earned, practical wisdom that applies to your life right now, 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith offers a path that we can all start on today to feel motivated, focused, and renewed in the Spirit.”
About the Author: Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press. He has over 40 years of experience in pastoral ministry and has taught at the high school, college, and general-adult levels. He is the author of over 20 books that have sold nearly a half-million copies, including the best sellers The Catechist’s Toolbox and A Well-Built Faith. His latest book, 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith, was published in 2023. He has presented in over 150 dioceses in North America and blogs about the catechetical ministry at www.catechistsjourney.com.
