During
May 2004, Pope John Paul II took recourse
to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin
so that the Eucharist would be at the center
of missionary activity. His prayer request
for the month was: "So that, through
the maternal intercession of Most Holy Mary,
Catholics will consider the Eucharist as
the heart and soul of the missionary activity."
The Eucharist and the mission to evangelize
are inseparable, John Paul II said in his
Message for the 78th World Mission Sunday,
recently published by the Holy See. The
Pontiff emphasized that the Church needs
a constant relationship with the Eucharist
to carry out its missionary mandate.
One Catholic musician that has taken this
to heart is
Chris Padgett. Known for being
the lead singer of the band Scarecrow & Tinmen, Padgett has adopted a missionary
stance in talking to youth. While performing
with Scarecrow, Padgett often took the occasion
to speak to his audience. When an opportunity
for a keynote speaker came up, an interview,
or just ministry during events, it was natural
for Padgett to take it on just to be able
to share God's message. Padgett explains,
"When I began doing ministry on my
own as more of a full-time venture, it wasn't
hard to do. There were a few talks on my
heart and I found the Lord began opening
doors for me to share these things. With
almost all talks I do a little music. I
find the mix of music and message helps
to bring home the major themes I am conveying,
as well as providing a space that enables
kids to encounter God. I love it! As for
a specific moment in which I knew speaking
would be key for me, it was more of a process,
a blooming into who I am. It has been very
natural; the logical next step. I think
too, after doing so many keynotes I really
enjoy having the hour or more to develop
key ideas and themes. This was huge. It
enabled me to go a lot deeper with kids
than I could within a Scarecrow & Tinmen
concert."
Padgett says that he loved doing the music
concerts, but addressing key themes, struggles,
and ideas was not as possible with the time
constraints and medium of presentation.
He realized a need for evangelizing and
went out on his own as a speaker. Out of
these talks came Padgett's first solo CD
called
Follow, introducing the music he
used in the talks. Next was a CD that showed
his love for the Eucharist called
Golden.
Padgett says that daily Mass is one of the
keys that help keep him focused for his
ministry. "As much as possible we as
a family try to go to Mass every day,"
says Padgett. "When we are in sync
here then all is well. We also try to pray
the Rosary and
Divine Mercy Chaplet every day, as well."
Chris Padgett's newest CD is called
Wonder.
The title track was inspired by a friend
named Gabrielle who, after a conference,
told Padgett she felt his walk with the
Lord could be best described as "Joyful
Desperation." "This certainly
rang true within me," Padgett says.
"I have always had a sense of being
driven in my journey with Christ. I have
a longing and somewhat desperation when
it comes to following Him. I am grateful,
overwhelmed, yet with a sense of desperation,
pursuing and striving," Padgett continues.
"The other day I realized there were
a couple of very ‘small’ things
I had done which had big repercussions.
This was so striking to me that I was overwhelmed
with awe and gratitude that He had used
me and my small gestures. He doesn't have
to use me, but I am so glad that He does."
On Wonder there is a praise song called
“So Amazing” that Padgett says
is a simple prayer that is great for drawing
kids and adults into a reflective reminder
of how much God has done for us. Padgett
calls this his song of gratitude. "I
do love the song I wrote for my wife,"
says Padgett about the song "Dreams
Come True." It was a tune I wrote a
while ago. I brought an unfinished version
of it home for my wife to listen to and
it touched her deeply. I wrote that song
while on the road a lot with the band. Everywhere
I looked and wherever I was it just made
me wish she and the family were with me."
Wonder also has a new version of the Scarecrow
& Tinmen song "You Are My Son."
Padgett explains, "It was written as
a reminder to me that God was a Father to
me and there for me, even though I struggled
a lot with the divorce of my parents. I
think in the eight or nine years of the
band’s existence there hasn't been
a show or hardly one where we haven't played
that tune. There is something about the
Father's heart for us that IS a message
we can't hear enough."
Interesting is the fact that Padgett's love
song for the Eucharist, "Come Unto
Me", was written before he was married,
while attending a "Baptist" college.
"I wasn't Catholic of course but for
some reason I put very Eucharistic messages
within it lyrically. I remember at one point
in the beginning of the band’s existence
we talked about using that song, but I was
asked by one of the members to change the
lyrics "Come
eat my flesh, Come drink
my blood" "to come unto me."
I said I wouldn't and so we never produced
the tune or played it. After converting,
it wasn't applicable to where we were as
a band, but since I have been primarily
on my own for some time now, that song really
came back to me and compliments the CD Golden.
As Catholics we believe Jesus is present
in the Blessed Sacrament; body, blood, soul
and divinity. This is Jesus giving Himself
for us. I want to grow in Him. Early in
my conversion experience I read a book called,
‘Eucharistic Miracles’. This
book was powerful for me because I realized
how real Christ was in the Sacrament of
Sacraments. It challenged me to NOT take
this for granted. When I was in Rome for
World Youth Day during the Jubilee year,
I went to Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.
I remember going up to receive our Lord
and as I knelt, there before me were the
huge black marble statues of saints. It
was like they were staring at me, reminding
and urging me to take very seriously this
faith I had recently become a part of (Easter
of ‘99 I entered the Church)."
Padgett talks about defending the name of
Jesus in the song, "Friend Like That."
He feels that Cardinal Arize and the US
Bishops are defending Jesus by their recent
letter to “Pro -Abortion Catholic”
politicians. "I remember in my conversion
process having to wait for the opportunity
to receive Christ in the Eucharist. It was
a longing in me; almost like waiting for
the birth of a child. It was so fulfilling
to finally be able to receive our Lord.
I don't know why anyone wants to take this
for granted. I don't know why anyone would
want to go against Church teaching. I converted
into Catholicism not so I could argue and
create my own perspective and understanding
on the Eucharist, or any other Catholic
teaching. That is what I was able to do
within my Protestant heritage. I found the
authority Christ gave the Catholic Church
for the preservation of faith and morals
to be liberating. This is applicable here
because the Bishops are our fathers within
this faith. They are responsible for the
integrity of who we are as the Body of Christ.
To have disregard for their authority, the
teaching authority of the Magisterium, in
its agreement with Scripture and Sacred
Tradition, is to create oneself as final
authority in matters of faith and morals."
Padgett continues, "I personally think
Catholicism and ‘Pro-abortion’
is an oxymoron. It seems one is not complimentary
with the other. I am expecting child number
seven the end of November. Pro-Life is not
a ‘concept’ in our home, it
is a reality. I find it awkward and ridiculous
that someone would want to so identify themselves
with Christ in receiving Him in the Sacrament
of the Eucharist, which is a reception of
true Life, yet would still hold to a choice
which intentionally ends a life."
Padgett's love for the Mass is so deep that
his next working project is a collection
of worship music that will be called "The
Encounter." So what is next after that?
"I would love to do a Christmas album,
and honestly have enough music to do a half
dozen projects or more right away. I just
don't have the budget. I am actually on
break a bit from music because I have done
so many things this last year and a half.
I have been working on several books, one
which came out recently has been doing pretty
well. I would love to do more keynote speaking
and ministry events," Padgett says.
"Evangelization must begin at home
with the family, and within the parish.
We ALL need to take steps into a deeper
love for and to our God. We ALL need to
quit settling for the second best, the mediocrity,
and challenging one another is imperative.
We ALL are part of one family through baptism,
anointed and enabled by the Holy Spirit
to be witnesses and testify through the
outpouring of the Spirit upon us at confirmation.
We ALL, whether in the Body of Christ or
out, need to hear and respond to this Good
News!”
