|
Even as they assembled on the
mountain in Galilee to which the Lord had called them there were still
some among the eleven disciples who had their doubts about what they
were seeing. It doesn't matter who they were, the point of the story is
that there were moments of doubt even among those who walked and talked
with the Lord in the flesh. Matthew reminds us that just as the
disciples had their doubts, so we should expect some as well. Yet, even
though some doubted, Jesus entrusted the important mission of
evangelization to them.
We hear a lot about evangelization today. What does it mean? Why is it
so important? At its root it is about living life filled with Jesus,
praising the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and loving our
neighbor as we love ourselves. When we love someone, we want to share
what we have with them. When we truly love the people in our life, we
will want to share Christ with them, because Christ is our life. This is
how the disciples became the first evangelizers because they shared
their Lord with the world.
How did they know what to say? How to speak? To whom they should go?
The Holy Spirit sent by Jesus showed them. That Holy Spirit described by
St. Paul to the Romans as the Spirit of adoption. That Spirit makes us
God's children and co-heirs with Christ. Paul declares that the Holy
Spirit empowers us to experience God as our "Abba," not just "father,"
but "Daddy."
This new and intimate relationship with God is the result of our
Baptism. Through Baptism we enter the Church and become part of
the Mystical Body of Christ.
From the moment of our Baptism, sanctifying grace, the very life of the
Holy Trinity, rushes into our souls. This uncreated grace empowers us to
evangelize in many ways. Spouses evangelize one another and their
children when they live Christ’s love in their marriage. The smallest
day-to-day kindnesses can be signs of Christ’s love. We
might ask ourselves today, who has brought Christ’s love to me? With
whom have I shared Christ’s love for me?
|
