Week Beginning June 25, 2023
Share Your Story
In our Gospel reading this Sunday, Jesus tells his apostles: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father” (Matthew 10:32). Pope Francis teaches us how to affirm our faith in Christ and integrate informal preaching into our daily conversations:
“Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey. In this preaching, which is always respectful and gentle, the first step is personal dialogue, when the other person speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs. Only afterwards is it possible to bring up God’s word, perhaps by reading a Bible verse or relating a story, but always keeping in mind the fundamental message: the personal love of God who became man, who gave himself up for us, who is living and who offers us his salvation and his friendship. This message has to be shared humbly as a testimony on the part of one who is always willing to learn, in the awareness that the message is so rich and so deep that it always exceeds our grasp” (Evangelii Gaudium, 127-128).
Pope Saint Paul VI notes: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” When we share the love of God with our neighbors, it is helpful to also share how we are changed by that love. Our personal stories offer a firsthand account of God’s healing power working mysteriously to bring about good. Our attestations provide a credible source of hope and encouragement to those in need.
In his book The Everlasting Man, G.K. Chesterton explains:
“The life of man is a story; an adventure story; and in our vision the same is true even of the story of God. … Exactly as a man in an adventure story has to pass various tests to save his life, so the man in this philosophy has to pass several tests and save his soul. … Every short story does truly begin with creation and end with a last judgement.”
This week, think about your story. How does knowing Jesus change your life? How does your faith comfort you during troubled times? How does his mercy help you advance and grow? Does your love for God lead you to make favorable choices? Does your trust in God affect how you react to things? Have you ever felt conflicted, only to learn in time that something positive came from your suffering? Have you always felt close to Jesus, or has your relationship developed gradually? What are important turning points on your spiritual journey? Can you recall a specific moment of conversion? Are there instances you can only describe as divine intervention? What does salvation mean to you?
Find opportunities to share your stories with people who can benefit from them. Become a living billboard for Christ, inspiring others to praise the Lord. In the words of Saint Augustine, “The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot.”
Week Beginning June 18, 2023
Seek Opportunities
In our Sunday Gospel reading, “Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, ‘Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’” (Matthew 10:5-6). Although evangelization in foreign lands is noble and important, we can take the first step in our own backyard. Saint Teresa of Calcutta encourages us to simply “Stay where you are–find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering, the lonely, right there where you are–in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and schools.”
Pope Francis explains how we can start our work as missionary disciples right here, right now. We do not necessarily need to travel or study to fill this call. We just need to begin, understanding that we will continue to grow every day as we continue to show others the truth and the way:
“Of course, all of us are called to mature in our work as evangelizers. We want to have better training, a deepening love and a clearer witness to the Gospel. In this sense, we ought to let others be constantly evangelizing us. But this does not mean that we should postpone the evangelizing mission; rather, each of us should find ways to communicate Jesus wherever we are. All of us are called to offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord, who despite our imperfections offers us his closeness, his word and his strength, and gives meaning to our lives. In your heart you know that it is not the same to live without him; what you have come to realize, what has helped you to live and given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others. Our falling short of perfection should be no excuse; on the contrary, mission is a constant stimulus not to remain mired in mediocrity but to continue growing. The witness of faith that each Christian is called to offer leads us to say with Saint Paul: ‘Not that I have already obtained this, or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own’ (Phil 3:12-13)” (Evangelii Gaudium, 121).
This week, seek unlikely opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those in need. Recall that during his earthly ministry, Jesus heals the sinners. “We can ask ourselves: How do we look upon others? How often do we see their faults and not their needs; how often do we label people by what they do or think?” remarks Pope Francis. “Even as Christians we say to ourselves: Is he one of us or not? This is not the gaze of Jesus: He always looks at each person with mercy, actually, with predilection.” Similarly, we can follow Jesus by listening to those who behave in a way we may not support. Rather than judging others, we can approach them with compassion. Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of opening our ears and our hearts:
“We need to practice the art of listening, which is more than simply hearing. Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart which makes possible that closeness without which genuine spiritual encounter cannot occur. Listening helps us to find the right gesture and word which shows that we are more than simply bystanders. Only through such respectful and compassionate listening can we enter on the paths of true growth and awaken a yearning for the Christian ideal: the desire to respond fully to God’s love and to bring to fruition what he has sown in our lives” (Evangelii Gaudium, 171).
Listening and loving are critical to developing relationships. One of the most effective ways to share the mercy of Jesus is through friendship. In a meeting with young people, Pope Francis suggests:
“Bring the excitement of Jesus’ friendship to the world, wherever you find yourselves: at work, at school, on WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter. When you go out dancing, or for a drink, when you meet in the town square or play a little match on the neighborhood field. That is where Jesus’ friends can be found. Not by conning others, but by standing beside them and being patient with them. With the patience which comes from knowing that we are happy, because we have a Father who is in heaven.”
We can enhance our efforts by praying for opportunities to share the Good News. Ask God to put you on the path with people you can help through the saving power of the Lord. Ask God to show you the things to do and the words to say. Catholic author and speaker Jason Evert reminds us: “Love is the greatest form of evangelization because it makes an invisible God visible.”
Week Beginning June 11, 2023
Pray Together
Thus says the Lord, “When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:12). One great way to remind our neighbors about the Kingdom of God and the power of prayer is simply to pray with them. Saint John Chrysostom describes prayer as “the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.” In both times of trouble and times of joy, good things come to us through prayer.
When we encounter people who are in distress, we often feel helpless. We do not always know how to console them. This week, do not simply tell those who are suffering that you will remember them in your prayers. Offer to pray with them during their struggles. Pope Francis describes this type of intercessory prayer as “an expression of our fraternal concern for others, since we are able to embrace their lives, their deepest troubles and their loftiest dreams” (Gaudete Et Exsultate).
You may be surprised how many people thank you and tell you they feel comforted by your prayers. God is in our midst when we pray together (Matthew 18:19-20). “Prayer is nothing else than union with God. When the heart is pure and united with God it is consoled and filled with sweetness; it is dazzled by a marvelous light,” observes Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney. “When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.”
Consider posting a board with prayer intentions in your home. This creates a visible reminder of the importance of God in our lives. It also promotes praying together as a family.
Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches us that “We set forth our petitions before God, not in order to make known to Him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is necessary to turn to God for help.” Saint Teresa of Jesus notes: “Prayer is the only channel through which God’s great graces and favors may flow into the soul.” The Venerable Fulton Sheen elaborates:
“Prayer, then, is not informing God of our needs, for God already knows them. Rather, the purpose of prayer is to give God the opportunity to bestow the gifts He will give us when we are ready to accept them. It is not the eye that makes the light of the sun surround us; it is not the lung that makes the air envelop us. The light of the sun is there if we do not close our eyes to it, and the air is there for our lungs if we do not hold our breath. God’s blessings are there–if we do not rebel against His will to give.”
Saint John reminds us that as children of God, we have the privilege of an intimate and trusting relationship with Him. “And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours” (1 John 5:14-15).
Pope Saint John Paul II summarizes:
“Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord. If we look only at ourselves, with our own limitations and sins, we quickly give way to sadness and discouragement. But if we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, then our hearts are filled with hope, our minds are washed in the light of truth and we come to know the fullness of the Gospel with all its promise and life.”
This week, let us also pray together when things are going well. Joining others in prayers of thanksgiving–whether it be grace before meals or gratitude for God’s many gifts–allows us to acknowledge the infinite love and bounty He shares with us. Seek opportunities to highlight God’s guidance and providence by offering thanks through communal prayers. “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36 ).
Week Beginning June 4, 2023
Extend an Invitation
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17). Jesus approaches us with an invitation. That simple invitation leads us to follow the path of Christ.
In Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states:
“evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. At its essence are the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ and the response of a person in faith, which are both works of the Spirit of God. Evangelization must always be directly connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed’ (Matthew 28:20).”
Your assignment this week is to cast out into the deep by extending invitations to the people you encounter. Think about how many people–friends and strangers–you pass by or interact with each day. How many of them are adrift, drowning, or lost at sea? How many of them have fallen away from the Church, do not realize the full beauty of their faith, or are strangers to Jesus Christ? Every one of us is a minister of welcome, and every meeting is an opportunity for evangelization. Through personal interactions with others, we can ignite their spiritual journeys. Consider inviting someone to join you at Mass, bible study, prayer group, ministry meeting, church-sponsored event, service project, seminar, retreat, Holy Hour, etc.
Although an invitation is not necessarily evangelization, it is one step toward conversion. When Jesus accompanies his disciples during their daily activities, he uses that time together to teach, correct, and encourage them. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis observes: “Reaching a level of maturity where individuals can make truly free and responsible decisions calls for much time and patience. As Blessed Peter Faber used to say: ‘Time is God’s messenger’.”
This week, duc in altum, and catch as many hearts as you can enflame with the love of God.
