THE LIGHT IS ON – 2014 – SESSION 2 –

THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO SHARE THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL

During the last talk, I spoke of Christian joy as the background of the Christian life, springing from the wisdom and love that is the greatest of the virtues.  And I discussed four aspects of Christian: joy at the presence of God, joy at the adventure of our journey to heaven, joy at being freed from sin, and joy at generosity and sharing the Gospel with others.  The next three talks will focus on the first three aspects of Christian joy.  In this talk, I will focus on the final aspect of Christian joy, sharing the Gospel with others, which is also a central subject of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, and the center of Bishop Loverde’s pastoral letter Go Forth With Hearts on Fire.  I will describe the universal call to evangelize the world, our own internal preparation for this evangelization, and some advice Pope Francis and Bishop Loverde give in carrying out this glorious calling.

I.  The Universal Call to Evangelize

        Both Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation and Bishop Loverde’s pastoral letter emphasize the fact that all of the faithful are meant to engage, in one way or another, in this mission of bringing the faith into the world.  In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis says, “In virtue of their baptism, all of the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples.  All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or level of instruction are agents of evangelization.”  The Joy of the Gospel 120.  In particular, he describes the examples of St. Philip who, as soon as he encountered Christ, went forth to tell Nathaniel, as St. Andrew did for St. Peter.  Likewise, the Samaritan woman at the well (whose conversion will be described in this Sunday’s reading) brought the Gospel to her town and St. Paul’s conversion led him to being a missionary.  It is true that Saints Phillip, Andrew and Paul would later become learned in the faith.  But they did not wait until that time to evangelize; as soon as they heard the Good News, they wanted to share it.  And likewise, although not mentioned by the Pope, at Pentecost, it was not only the Apostles, or even the closest disciples who went forth to bring the Good News to the people of Jerusalem.  All of those 120 or so early Christians received the Holy Spirit and went forth courageously with the message.  Today the sacrament of Confirmation is, in large part, a personal encounter with Pentecost.  We all receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and, as the Catechism says, the “special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses to Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.” Catechism 1303.  Or, as Bishop  Loverde wrote, “as a baptized Catholic you are already an evangelist .  You are a herald or messenger of the Good News.”  Go Forth With Hearts on Fire 10.  The rest of the letter describes both the duty and the joy of sharing the Good News with others.

        Certainly, there are the professional missionaries and professional teachers of the faith.  And also, of course, parents are the primary educators of their children, and thus have the primary responsibility to hand on the faith to future generations.  As Bishop Loverde writes, “Our homes – or ‘domestic churches’ are the first places of missionary activity.  . . . From our homes, we then go out to tell the Good News, serving as salt and light and leaven in the surrounding neighborhood, parish, town city, country and even beyond.”

But all people are a necessary part of evangelization.  But how do to faithful evangelize society around us.  Certainly, each person has different talents and opportunities.  But, as Pope Francis and Bishop Loverde point out, there are common elements that enable everyone to be a herald of the glorious news of salvation in Jesus Christ.  I will summarize them here, in terms of one’s own preparation for evangelization and then in terms of bringing the good news to others.

        II.  Preparation for Evangelization in One’s Own Heart and Home

        First, of course, in order to share the Good News, we must live it out in practice.  There is an old saying in the Church, “No one can give what he does not have.”  In order to share this friendship with Jesus, we must live it out ourselves.    Thus does Pope Francis first describe experiencing the joy of salvation with Christ and then address the call to share it with others.  And this experience continues growing over time, both in our own advancement of the faith and in learning from others.  As he says, “We want to have a better training, deepening love, and a clearer witness to the Gospel.  In this sense, we ought to be letting others be constantly evangelizing us.”  The Joy of the Gospel 121.  Likewise, Bishop Loverde states, “Before you or I can take up our mission as a disciple and evangelist, we must know that we are the Lord’s beloved.”  Go Forth With Hearts on Fire 16.  And so he recommends that, as preparation for bringing the Good News to others, we both come to understand more and more deeply God’s love for us also find concrete ways of living out that love in the community of believers.  There are, among other things, five aspects to this increasing relationship.  

The first is prayer and spending time with God.  Thus, Bishop  Loverde calls for all Catholics to make the Eucharist and the Mass central in their lives.  Obviously, Sunday Mass is required and is the high point of the week, but also daily Mass is an excellent way of consecrating each day.  And, of course, it is important that we do not allow such attendance at Mass to become routine, but instead at every Mass truly focus on the fact that Jesus is with us, that God speaks to us, that the angels and saints pray with us, that heaven and earth, and the Church throughout time and space, comes together in the Mass and all liturgies of the Church.  See Vatican II Council, Sancrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963) 7-8.   And, of course, we can come to Jesus continually in the Eucharist, where He is more present to us now that God was to the prophets of old, or even to Moses on Mount Sinai.  For, as the letter to the Hebrews says, “You have approached Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.”  Heb. 12:22-24.    Thus, Bishop Loverde recommends at least 10 minutes of silent prayer, preferably more, to gain more of a sense that God is with us.  He recommends in particular any or all of the following devotions: the rosary, lectio divina (i.e., a prayerful reading of Scripture), Eucharistic adoration, and a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  He also calls for more fasting and other penances, not only for repentance from sins, but also to strengthen our hearts and minds that we may long the more for the divine, hear the voice of God and answer His call.  

        Second, we must seek to be liberated from our sins, a liberation which, as the last talk discussed, is a great source of joy in itself.  Thus, Bishop Loverde describes the sacrament of Penance as central to evangelization.  In that sacrament, as he describes, “we meet the fire and light of Christ” and so receive “new energy to live out His will, do what is good, and true and just, and tell others about the joy we have come to know.”  Go Forth With Hearts on Fire 31.  And, in general, it is important continually to ask how we have fallen short of God’s law, to turn to Him in repentance and go to Confession regularly, and so to gain new strength for our journey and our call to bring God’s word to all of the world.  In itself, of course, repentance involves sorrow for sins; the word contrition in fact comes from the Latin phrase for “with sorrow.”  But precisely by being honest with oneself and with God about sins, and being willing to turn to Him for renewal, we receive the strength and thrill of this liberation, and thus are more able joyfully to share the good news with others.  It is one example of what Jesus says, “Blessed are those who weep and mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Matt 5:4.

        Third, we must continually advance in our understanding of the faith ourselves.  As stated before, one does not need to be a scholar in the faith to begin evangelizing others.  But it is important to bring one’s effort to God and receive His light that we can then share it with others.  As Saint Peter says, “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you.”  1 Peter. 3:15.  It is important to continue advancing in our understanding about the truth of our faiths so that faith and reason may be as Blessed John Paul II says, “like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of the truth.”  Fides et Ratio (1998) 1.  And so Bishop Loverde says in his pastoral letter, “undoubtedly, when we truly love someone, we want to know more about that person.  Falling in love and love at first sight may be the beginning, but coming to know the real person is what fans the initial spark of love into a roaring, enduring fire.”  Go Forth With Hearts on Fire 46.  He points out that, according to a survey by Matthew Kelley, a Catholic speaker and evangelist, Catholics who are active in sharing their faith spend an average of 14 minutes a day in such studies.  With the effort of dedicating even a quarter hour each day, one can, over the course of six years, acquire 500 hours of learning about the faith, or a quarter year of full time studies.  With such efforts to understand the faith, led always by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we should not worry about the fact that one’s intellect may not match that of other people.  For with the faith, we have a wisdom that spans beyond time and space; with the resources of the Church, we have a treasury of learning that we can use; and with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we receive power from on high, if only we will tap into such wisdom, treasury of learning and divine power.  As St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote, “Before Christ’s coming no philosopher by his entire sustained effort could have known as much about God and the truths necessary for salvation as can a humble old woman now that Christ has come.”  Exposition on the Apostles’ Creed.  Surely with such wisdom and light, if we truly make the effort to advance in the faith, any of us can take on the world.

        Fourth, of course, we must live out our faith in practice.  For, as Jesus says, we are meant to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a city set upon a hill.  See Matt. 5:13-16.  Or, as St. Peter says, “Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”  1 Peter 2:12.  In order to evangelize, we must live as children of God, and so receive the light and life we can share with others.  As Bishop Loverde writes, “The adherence to the Father’s will is key to living as a son or daughter in the Son.  Accepting this gift is the core of Christian holiness and discipleship, of a personal relationship with Christ in His Church, and of our lives as evangelists.  This entails embracing the Lordship of Christ in every area of our lives, including obeying Him in ways that may seem painfully contrary to our personal desires.”  Go Forth With Hearts on Fire 17.   This obedience leads us through the suffering of Calvary to the glory of Easter and to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the Apostles knew at Pentecost.

        III.  Going Forth Into the World

        At the same time as we are striving to live out our relationship with Christ, our life of grace, we are also meant to share that life with others.  And so, both Pope Francis and Bishop Loverde recommend several means of bringing the Good News to others.  I will cover a few of these means: acts of charity, hospitality in the parish, different forms of piety, the generous use of our gifts, and personal contact with others.

        In his pastoral letter, Bishop Loverde speaks of charity as central in presenting the Gospel to the world.  “As children of God and followers of Christ, we seek opportunities for acts of charity, for living out our faith in concrete ways.  Expressing the love of the Gospel through our actions is vital to being faithful disciples of Jesus and His authentic witnesses.”  Go Forth With Hearts of Fire 27.  As he points out, Christ washed the feet of His Apostles and called for them to do the same at the beginning of their consecration as His priests at the Last Supper.  We also recall one of Jesus’ first miracles, the cure of the lame man whom four friends brought to Jesus by lowering him through a roof.  The first thing Jesus said to the lame man was, “Child, your sins are forgiven,” for eternal salvation is the first and greatest gift.  But then He went onto say to the man and to the crowds, “That you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth . . . I say to you, ‘Rise, pick up your mat, and go home.’”  See Mark 2:1-12.  The miraculous cure was important in itself as an act of compassion, but even more so as a sign of the salvation Jesus was offering, making this freedom of the Gospel visible to the world.  We may not be able to perform such clear miraculous physical cures (although we should never doubt the power of prayer), but simple acts of kindness, of overcoming the isolation and anonymity of the modern world, is more important than physical miracles.  And so, when the disciples of John the Baptist come to Jesus and ask Him whether He is the one who is to come, or whether they should expect another, He does list the miracles He was performing as signs to them, curing lepers, giving sight to the blind, even raising the dead.  But the last and greatest sign that He is the Messiah is that the poor have the good news preached to them.  See Luke 7:18-23.  In acts of charity, we give that sign to the world.

        Now in bringing that Good News to people, Pope Francis and Bishop Loverde also call for us to overcome the anonymity so common in the modern world.  For it is paradoxical but true that, with more means of communication and transportation than ever before, it seems that people are more isolated and lonely than in prior ages.  And so, for example, Bishop Loverde recommends being hospitable in parishes and getting to know other parishioners, especially welcoming people who may be new to the church.  See Sent Forth With Hearts on Fire 49-50.  For example, t my home parish, St. Luke in McLean, there was an effort once a month, as there is here to gather the parishioners on Sunday for a coffee and doughnuts and the like.  But at such occasions, there can be a tendency only to greet again the people one knows; it is a challenge, but a joyful one, also to reach out to others whom one does not know, or who may be new.  I also remember at my home parish, there is what they call the Koffee Klatch after the 6:45 Mass on Sundays, and the Mass goers were very willing to welcome others to their gathering.   On a similar, Bishop Loverde recommends small faith sharing groups that help each other along the way of faith, and also welcome others in their midst.  Such small groups in the parish and the welcoming of others who are new or who are not yet Catholic is an excellent way of bringing the Good News to people and increasing the faith in the world.

        And likewise, Pope Francis calls for a celebration of popular piety to help increase the faith in the world.  See Evangelii Gaudium  122-26.  Now certainly such piety should be consistent with the faith, and not descend into superstition.  But, within the faith, there are many forms of piety.  For example, in my first parish, Holy Spirit church in Annandale, there was and is a group of families that gather together once a week to pray the rosary and then enjoy fellowship together.  Such combination of prayer and simple joy can be very attractive to a world starved for true love.  And likewise, such time honored groups such as the Legion of Mary and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, along with newer groups such as the young adults of the Catholic Underground in this diocese should be encouraged as a means of showing forth in visible form the community of faith in the world.

        Pope Francis also calls for the acceptance of various charisms that are united to the Church.  As St. Paul repeatedly says, there are many gifts but one Holy Spirit, one Lord Jesus Christ, one God and Father who unites them all.   See, e.g., Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:11-16.  People should ask what gifts they have received and offer them generously for the Church, whether in current or new groups.  There are certainly risks and uncertainties in striking out into various apostolates.  But such risks and uncertainties are part of the joy of the adventure of faith, begun with the Apostles as describes in the book of Acts and continuing until the end of time.  As Pope Francis writes, “The Holy Spirit also enriches the entire evangelizing Church with different charisms.  These gifts are meant to renew and build up the Church.  They are not an inheritance, safely secured and entrusted to a small group for safekeeping; rather, they are gifts of the Spirit integrated into the body of the Church, drawn to the center which is Christ and then channeled into an evangelizing impulse.”  Evangellii Gaudium 130.  All of the faithful should ask, what gifts have you received, teaching, personal evangelization, hospitality, service of the poor or sick, what gifts have I received, and what current or potential apostolates within the Church can make them flourish.  We have all received that gold coin, that talent, we are all entrusted with gifts from the Master, and at the end of all things we are called to present them to Him.  In the great parables of the gold coin and the talents, there is no one who has use the gifts as he could and failed to produce some fruit.  See Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-17.  Likewise, Christ calls us to offer the gifts we have received, to ask for His guidance, and so to bear great fruit for the Christ and His kingdom.

        It is also important to emphasize to each person how he can be of great service to the People of God, how his talents, gifts, and perspectives are valuable.  For people want to be wanted; people want to contribute; people want to be a part of the creative power of God.  And so, in addition to presenting the Gospel to others, it is important to ask them about their talents, their views, their experiences, their desire to be creative and to consider how the Church gives them that ability, or perhaps how their abilities can make the Church grow in her outreach to the world.  After all, when Jesus performed miracles, He often waited until a friend or relative of the person needing the miracle asked for it, as was the case when the four men brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus, the centurion asked for the cure of his son, or at the wedding feast of Cana, Mary requested the miracle of the wine.  Did Jesus need to be informed of the need for Him?  No, He did not; but rather, He so respected His people that He wanted them to participate in the miracles.  Likewise, many times, He calls for others to help Him complete a miracle, as when He told the servants to fill the jars of water at Cana, or when He instructed the family and friends of Lazarus to release him from the burial bands.  Once again, did He need the others to act for Him; could He not complete the miracles Himself.  Of course He could do so, but once again, He had such respect for the family and friends that He wanted them to contribute their efforts.  And He still does have such respect for us.  He wants each person to contribute to the building up of the kingdom of God.  And inviting each person to use his creative abilities for this great project is an excellent way of bringing them into the joy of the Gospel.

        Of course, in addition to groups within the Church, there is the simple and yet profound means of bringing the Gospel to people one individual at a time, saying as Philip does to Nathaniel, as Andrew to Peter, as the Samaritan woman to her town “Come and see.”  See John 2:46.  And so Pope Francis speaks of the daily call to evangelize by “bringing the Gospel to people whom we meet, whether they be our neighbors or complete strangers.”  Evangelii Gaudium 127.   As he points out, this evangelization could begin at any time, even in the simplest of conversations.  He says that the first step in such personal evangelization is caring about the other person, listening to him, sharing his joys and sorrows, hopes and concerns.  For Jesus does not simply come to the world at large, but to each individual.  And to witness to the Gospel does not involve simply a knowledge of the world at large, but a knowledge and love of the person who is with us, the unique son or daughter of God.  And, in the context of this person’s life, we can then offer the hope of salvation, the love of God as it responds to his own concerns.  

        For, when we have experienced Christ’s love for us, we are meant to bring that love to others.  And, as is often said, there is no better way of learning a subject than to teach it.  Likewise, in seeking to bring Christ to others, we learn of our own faith all the more.  This mutual sharing of the joys of our faith, lived even in the midst of worldly struggle, this witness to the light of Christ in the world, this joining of our time and talents united in the Church, the Body of Christ, and also reaching out to each culture and each individual person, brings us to fulfill what Saint Peter said long ago, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His own marvelous light.”  1 Pet. 2:9.