“…Here am I, send me!”

 

One of the great miracles in history is the growth of the Church that Jesus of Nazareth founded shortly before he gave himself up for crucifixion. Over the next four centuries, individual members of this obscure Jewish sect in Palestine, with the help of the Holy Spirit, shared the Good News they had received with their friends and neighbors. The Catholic Church would grow to become the official religion of the Roman Empire and most of the known world.

Today, we Catholic laymen find ourselves in a situation very similar to our Catholic forefathers, living in a secular society whose pagan segment is ever-increasing. In addition, one out of every three people raised Catholic have left the church.   It is estimated today that only 23% of Catholics attend weekly Mass.  The largest Christian designation in the United States is Catholic. What is the second largest? – Former Catholics. We members of Good Shepherd Catholic Community in Colleyville, Texas, in the year of our Lord 2013, have the historic opportunity to imitate our forefathers and evangelize, that is, to bring the Good News of Christ to our fellow citizens, especially our brothers and sisters who consider themselves former Catholics.

Why should we Evangelize? For over forty years, our popes have told us.

Pope Paul VI put it this way “Evangelizing is…the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to Evangelize.”

Blessed John Paul II in 1983 called for a “New Evangelization” saying “(Evangelization) …will gain its full energy if it is a commitment, not to re-evangelize but to a New Evangelization, new in its ardor, methods, and expression.”

Pope Benedict XVI established the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization on September 21, 2010, noting the Church is being challenged by “…an abandonment of the faith – a phenomenon progressively more manifest in societies and cultures which for centuries seemed to be permeated by the Gospel.”

In February of this year, Pope Francis spoke of whom we are called to evangelize: “Instead of just being a Church that welcomes and receives, we try to be a Church that comes out of itself and goes to the men and women who do not participate in parish life, do not know much about it, and are indifferent towards it.”

What can you do?

Like any great journey, one starts with initial easy steps. The first step is to evangelize yourself.

Seize the moment and begin learning more about our faith. Stop putting off deepening your relationship with Christ. One will always be “too busy”. Deepen your prayer life; participate in the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation; sign up for a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat. Allow yourself to fall in love with Christ and it will be felt by all who meet you.

An easy next step in evangelization is to wear something that by its presence identifies you as a Christian. A cross necklace, a cross lapel pin, a ring with a Christian symbol, a small cross or crucifix in your office, a rosary, a religious medal – wear something that silently proclaims your faith.

This week’s challenge:

1: Wear something every day that silently identifies you as a Christian OR put something in your workspace / desk that does the same thing.

2: Read Chapters 25-28 of Matthew’s Gospel.

What does the Bible say?

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’”

– Isaiah 6:8

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

– Mark 16:15

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

– Mathew 28: 19-20