Evangelization Matters!

A cool breeze with a blend of warm sun rays, topped with a handful of patience, is the recipe for a fruitful fishing experience. As we dive into the heart of summer, we are reminded of the fishing master, the expert of patience, and the designer of the breeze and sun, Jesus. Jesus called the disciples, and all of us, to be “fishers” of men and women. By outfitting ourselves with a variety of evangelization approaches, we can be sure our fishing expedition will result in a successful catch: in other words, new people open to a faith-filled encounter.

Have you ever had an encounter with a total stranger – a person in an airport, a sales associate in a store, or someone on a city street--who went out of his or her way to help you? No doubt that experience made you feel special! Those who assisted you demonstrated some of the qualities of an evangelizer that Pope Francis describes in The Joy of the Gospel: “approachability, readiness for dialogue, patience, a warmth and welcome which is non-judgmental.”

The Holy Spirit is constantly speaking to us in an effort to draw us closer to Christ. Sometimes it is an intuition, a fleeting thought, a strange coincidence, or the deep feeling that something is missing in our lives. Sometimes we may feel the Holy Spirit nudging us, but we decide to ignore it. Sometimes we forget to listen.

Countless scripture stories point toward Jesus as the Good News for all humanity. Through his life, ministry, teaching, healing, death, and resurrection, he speaks the words of eternal life. Since that time, no story has been quite as powerful as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

By virtue of our baptism, we are all called to be missionary disciples. And every parish is called to be a center of missionary activity where missionary disciples are formed. What qualities demonstrate discipleship that we can live out individually and as part of a parish community?

If you want to be an effective evangelizer, it is helpful to recognize where you, and those you hope to evangelize, are on the journey of faith. The journey to a mature faith may take years and may not follow a straight line. Typically, it is more like a spiral. We usually revisit the same places, but at a deeper level, drawing closer to Christ. It is also possible to get “stuck” and stay in one place for a time, or to wander off on a tangent and then come back. Keep this in mind as you meditate on your own faith journey.

Most of us know people who are distanced from the Catholic Church or are not affiliated with any faith community or denomination. These may be our spouses, children, grandchildren, siblings, and friends. According to the Pew Research Center, 23 percent of Americans recently answered “none” when asked what religion they practice. This figure is even higher among people younger than 35 years old.

“Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’
But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her in reply, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.’”  (Luke 1:30-35)

Close your eyes. Visualize a community in which Sunday Mass and all of the sacraments are celebrated joyfully and meaningfully in a way that is warm and welcoming to all people.

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.’ So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (Mark 6:7-13).