Week 1:
For the past two years we have been laying the foundation for this current series. Our Know-Grow-Go umbrella has helped us focus all our parish activities and provide direction for them. Knowing Jesus in a personal way, and growing in that relationship, has to lead us to outward action. In our Catholic faith, the “go” piece is essential if we are to remain true to the person and message of Jesus.
The word “evangelization” has been distorted to a great extent and carries with it for many of us a high degree of what I call the “ick factor.” At its worst, it characterizes a kind of judgmentalness and superiority that is often framed by the question asked: “Are you saved?” I have been on the receiving end of this question many times, and as confident as I am in talking about my faith, I find the question to be off-putting. Usually it wants a very narrowly defined answer, one that often simply does not fit well with our Catholic understanding of ongoing conversion and an ever-deepening experience of God beginning with infant baptism and progressing (complete with times of fervor and times of stagnancy!) throughout our lives to an every deeper union with the Lord.
Yet, evangelization in its truest form is the most natural thing in the world. The word itself means “glad tidings.” In a sense we are evangelizing whenever we tell someone about something in which we have found delight. We “evangelize” when we tell someone about a great book we read, a movie we saw, a car we bought, a person we just met, or a new recipe we tried. A friend of mine says this: “The next best thing to catching a really nice fish—is telling someone about it.”
So, in that context for us to evangelize about God and our experience of Him in our life does not have to be done in a saccharine, sterile, or “churchy” way. Agreed, our relationship with Jesus is very personal, often private, and admittedly difficult to articulate. AND, (not “but”) the reality is we are given opportunities where we can assist others in discovering something way more important than the list of things I mentioned in the previous paragraph! Jesus clearly sends out his followers to share what they have experienced. The mission of the church is not just taking care of those who already have come to an awareness of and a response to the presence of Jesus. The mission of the church is to equip and send forth each baptized person to spread the Good News (“glad tidings”). This series will provide some very practical steps and challenges for each of us to Go Make a Difference.
+ + +
Week 2:
Hello everyone. Last weekend Fr. Dave started us on our Lenten homilies regarding a Catholic approach to evangelization. He reminded us that evangelization is not fundamentally something coercive, guilt-inducing, or “icky,” but rather the sharing of “glad tidings.” If we truly love the Lord, we should be able to talk about Him in heartfelt yet appropriate ways when the opportunity presents itself, much like a parent who can’t resist sharing about his kids when given the chance. Evangelization should be natural and attractive.
This week, I want to talk about creating the conditions for effective evangelization to happen - “tilling the soil” so to speak. Contrary to what many believe, the foundations of successful evangelization aren’t clever arguments and formidable rhetorical skills. Evangelization isn’t fundamentally about manipulating somebody in order to “get them on our side.” That’s proselytizing, not evangelizing. Consider these words of Pope Francis:
The Church does not grow by proselytizing; she grows by attracting others. And what attracts is our witness. Being a catechist means witnessing to the faith, being consistent in our personal life. This is not easy!
We help, we lead others to Jesus with our words and our lives, with our witness. I like to recall what Saint Francis of Assisi used to say to his friars: “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” Words come . . . but witness comes first: people should see the Gospel, read the Gospel, in our lives [Address to Catechists, April 27, 2013].
According to Francis, then, real evangelization happens when the witness of our lives attracts a person to hearing the truth of our words. What makes for an attractive witness? Lots of things: generosity, courage, kindness, patience, wisdom, joy, self-control, etc. All of these are fruits of the Holy Spirit, and signs of His presence and His goodness within us. Spiritually speaking, these are succulent fruits, and hard to resist! When our lives produce such fruit, we’ll very naturally run into opportunities to talk about the Gardener who cultivates them.
But there’s another side to this as well. The groundwork for evangelization is laid not just when others perceive God’s goodness within us, but also when we recognize God’s goodness in them and in the world around us. God’s glory is irresistible to the human heart, and part of the genius of our Catholic faith has been an ability to recognize that glory, to magnify it, and to delight in it. Not just in “churchy’ things; rather, in the whole range of good things that God has made. Catholics find traces of God’s glory in the sciences; in the arts; in good music and literature; in politics honorably undertaken; in compassionate acts of service; in love and friendship; in the achievements of the human mind; in the interests and accomplishments of our children and spouses; in honest and humble work, etc. Whenever we delight in these things, we open our hearts to the presence of God. And since delight is contagious (think about how hard it is not to laugh when a baby laughs!), we help open the hearts of others as well. Hilaire Belloc captures it well:
Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino! (“Let us bless the Lord!)
Want to share your faith with others? Do two things: 1.) ask the Lord to help you surrender whatever gets in the way of your life being a more attractive witness (regular Confession can be a huge help here); 2.) learn to delight in others and in the world around you (n.b, this may require turning off the t.v./computer/smartphone from time to time!) Happy Lent, everybody!
+ + +
Week 3:
We began this series by defining evangelization as “sharing glad tidings,” something we do naturally about anything we feel strongly about. In week 2 we described why an authentic life of faith is attractive. If our lives are filled with a spirit of generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness, and patience, people notice! And, if we are filled with anger, a critical spirit, negativity and selfishness, they notice that too. We cannot talk about the Good News of Jesus if we ourselves are personally “bad news.” And, when we are living an attractive life of faith occasions will arise very naturally where we have openings to share “what makes our lives tick.”
1 Peter 3:15 states this: “Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in God.” In that context to evangelize specifically about our relationship with God requires that we take time to ponder and articulate just what that means in our lives. Here are some vital questions to consider.
How do we experience God in our lives?
Why is that important to us?
Why do we go to church?
Let me describe my own answers to these questions as a means to prompt your reflections. I experience God in my life in all the ways I encounter mystery: the beauty of creation, the unexpected circumstances that happen, the very vulnerability of knowing that everything can change in an instant—for better or worse, the sources of comfort and solace in my life (family, friends, cat (!), prayer partners), the trials and times when I am up against issues that are simply beyond my control, the satisfaction that comes from doing something well, and the hope I have in life after death.
That is important to me because I refuse to live shallowly, simply defaulting into a frenzy of activity, avoidance of the difficult questions, and never taking time to reflect and ponder on what really matters--and to act accordingly. Faith in Jesus gives me a model for how to do that, and more importantly, a relationship, a friendship, that permeates my own aspirations to live each day deeply and fully united with him.
Being a part of a church community gives me a regular reminder of just what this vision is. Hearing the Word of God proclaimed, being with a community of fellow seekers (and finders!), and receiving the grace of the sacraments gives me the oomph I need to go out and discover the presence of God everywhere, and to make a difference in the world. That in a nutshell is the witness I have to share when the opportunities arise.
This week, take some quality time to ponder those three questions and clarify your own responses. Be ready, because the truth is, opportunities present themselves often to share this testimony with others. It can be a matter of life and death—or better, life and afterlife!
+++