Acclaimed Bible scholar honored as Special Guest Speaker at the 2021 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.
With an impressive introduction as “the man who has done more than anyone in the United States to increase biblical literacy among American Catholics,” Jeff Cavins took the podium this morning at the 2021 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) in Washington, DC as the invited Special Guest Speaker for the annual event.
A Plan to Change the World with the Gospel
Cavins, respected as a decades-long authority in Catholic biblical scholarship and evangelization, briefly shared highlights from his own life of faith before urging his audience that the “kerygma,” the central “Good News” message of Christianity, continues to be the most important agent of personal and cultural change in a world facing much darkness:
“So, how are we going to change the world? I truly believe with all of my heart that we can only change the world through changed people. And changed people are changed because they heard the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.”
And later: “I want to encourage you to integrate the Gospel message into your life, because it’s the only message that cuts through all of the darkness, cuts through all of the politics and everything else, and gets to the heart of an individual.”
“We’ve been called to walk in the supernatural. I truly believe that if we’re going to change America, that the shape of our day needs to reflect the love of our life. If we’re in love with Jesus, then [the shape of] our day should reflect that.”
More Quotes from Jeff’s Speech:
- To those who might wish to shy away from sharing their faith with others, Cavins enjoined, “Being involved in evangelization is about justice. Justice says that people deserve to hear the truth. [People are] broken. Their lives are crumbling. And we have the answer and we cannot be afraid to share that [answer] with people. We need to fight for our country! We need to fight for our faith! And I would encourage you to fight like the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s ark. Fight!”
- “I believe with all of my heart, that there are two things that people are looking for right now in America. They’re looking for a brighter future and they’re looking for someone to trust. And we have [both of those things] in the scriptures as Catholics. … [In my Bible in a Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz, which became the #1 Podcast in America in January 2021] we just simply raised up the Word of God in the midst of the darkness. And it’s giving people… a glimpse at our [Heavenly] Father’s heart, and it gives them a glimpse of our Father’s plan. And when you take our Father’s heart and our Father’s plan and put them together, you have a foundation on which you can trust.”
- “If we’re going to change America, I truly believe that we have to live as disciples, as ‘activated disciples.’ Disciples are people who have been chosen by Jesus. … [we have been chosen to take on His] worldview… And that’s what we’re doing here at this breakfast: we’re celebrating the worldview of Jesus.”
Full Text of the Speech
The full video of Jeff Cavin’s keynote address at the 2021 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast can be found on EWTN’s YouTube Channel (1:33:00-1:59:30). Quotes have been edited for clarity.
About Jeff Cavins
Jeff Cavins has been a prolific writer, Catholic Bible evangelist, and public speaker for decades. His Great Adventure Bible Timeline® Learning System is the best-selling Catholic Bible study in America, and forms the basis of the reading plan for The Bible in a Year podcast, which was the #1 Podcast in America in all categories in January 2021.
In the words of Archbishop Joseph Naumann, “Jeff Cavins has done more than anyone to increase Biblical literacy among American Catholics.”
For interviews with Jeff Cavins, email Lauren Joyce: LJoyce@AscensionPress.com.
About the NCPB
Established in 2004, the NCPB is a nonpartisan event welcoming Catholics from all areas of public life – from religious to political – to join in prayer for the nation. Previous speakers have included both religious and lay Catholic figures such as Bishop Robert Barron, Sr. Bethany Madonna, Curtis Martin, Speaker Paul Ryan, Vice President Pence, and His Eminence Cardinal Sarah.