Are you called to evangelize?

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

By our Baptism we are called to be holy as God is Holy – to share in the Life Christ lived, died, rose and ascended to give us. His Words need to sink down deeper into our hearts until we hear with some urgency His Love which sends us forth:

“As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)

I read this poem by St. Teresa of Avila, given as a Commentary for this Morning’s Gospel:

Commentary of the day
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church
Poem “ Vuestra soy, para vos nací ” (trans. E.Allison Peers)

“What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?”

I am thine and born for thee,
What wilt thou do with me?

Sovereign Lord upon thy throne,
Endless Wisdom, one and whole,
Goodness that dost feed my soul,
Good and great, one God alone,
As I sing my love for thee.
What wilt thou do with me?

Thine I am, for thou didst make me;
Thine, for thou alone didst save me;
Thine – thou couldst endure to have me;
For thine own didst deign to take me.
Never once didst thou forsake me.
Ruined were I if not for thee:
What wilt thou do with me?

What, O good and loving Lord,
What wilt thou have this creature do?
This thy slave, a sinner too,
Waiting till she hears thy word?
With thy will in close accord,
Sweetest Love, I come to thee:
What wilt thou do with me?

Take, O Lord, my loving heart:
See, I yield it to thee whole,
With my body, life and soul
And my nature’s every part.
Sweetest Spouse, my life thou art;
I have given myself to thee:
What wilt thou do with me?

Let me live or let me die;
Give me sickness, give me health;
Give me poverty or wealth;
Let me strive or peaceful lie.
Weakness give or strength supply –
I accept it all of thee:
What wilt thou do with me?..

I am thine and born for thee,
What wilt thou do with me?

Tomorrow is the Feast of Pentecost. Let us, by God’s Grace, ask sincerely for His Holy Spirit to enlighten us as to how we can share the Good News. Let us ask from our hearts as St. Teresa did: “What wilt thou do with me?”

 

[Michael_Mayo]

We evangelize by living the Good News. We proclaim by example.

 

[Vasallus]

That lets us off too easy. We are called to do more.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

That lets us off too easy. We are called to do more.

We have to start there or anything else is just talk…like some of the tv evangelists.

 

[MariaChristi]

We evangelize by living the Good News. We proclaim by example.

Dear Michael,

Yes, we need the Holy Spirit ourselves first, to purify our hearts and enable us to know the Truth, and live the Truth. We also need to remember that some have never heard the truth and faith comes by hearing, as the Scripture tells us. We cannot remain silent if the Truth needs to be spoken. We have not received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit only for ourselves but to share.

Theresa of Avila was docile to the Holy Spirit and wrote of her experiences in prayer so that we might be helped by her gifts. We need to pray for God’s Grace to guide us in what we do and say to others in witnessing to the Good News of Jesus. Thanks for your reply. Please let us pray for the Church today, especially that all of us may grow in holiness.

 

[MariaChristi]

That lets us off too easy. We are called to do more.

Dear Vasallus,

If we pray as St. Teresa prayed in her poem which I posted, God will not “let us off easy”. We follow “Blood-stained Footprints” in following Christ. Each of us must pray fervently and perseveringly to God for His Grace, for without Him we can do nothing. Each of us must do God’s Will as Mary did and live as she did totally for Him and in Him, as we serve others.

We are called to be holy as God is holy. We are each called to be a unique saint – no two are exactly alike. All are called to holiness and All are called thus to share the gifts we have been given. Pope Paul VI in his Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelium Nuntiandi” wrote that the Church exists to evangelize. You and I may serve him in different ways but there is one Spirit who gifts us.

Please let us pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in need of God’s Mercy.
Thanks for your reply and Blessed Feast of Pentecost to you and to all.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Dear Michael,

Yes, we need the Holy Spirit ourselves first, to purify our hearts and enable us to know the Truth, and live the Truth. We also need to remember that some have never heard the truth and faith comes by hearing, as the Scripture tells us. We cannot remain silent if the Truth needs to be spoken. We have not received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit only for ourselves but to share.

Theresa of Avila was docile to the Holy Spirit and wrote of her experiences in prayer so that we might be helped by her gifts. We need to pray for God’s Grace to guide us in what we do and say to others in witnessing to the Good News of Jesus. Thanks for your reply. Please let us pray for the Church today, especially that all of us may grow in holiness.

Yes, I think today in our society most people have been exposed to at least some aspects of Christianity. What they might lack is to see the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom Jesus rules, lived out in concrete ways.

They may see some good being done but there is often not an explicit connection with the Gospel. When the apostles worked they did it “In the name of The Lord, Jesus Christ”. When we let our light shine we can also make clear why it shines and where it comes from. A lot of people are turned off today not only to “Christianity” but to any religious message. The recent Pew poll indicates growing unaffiliated and growing Non-believers. We must first attract others with our authentic joy and peace and love. So yes, let us pray that each of us and the entire Church grows in holiness and in the wisdom of how best to share the truth of it.

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, I think today in our society most people have been exposed to at least some aspects of Christianity. What they might lack is to see the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom Jesus rules, lived out in concrete ways.

They may see some good being done but there is often not an explicit connection with the Gospel. When the apostles worked they did it “In the name of The Lord, Jesus Christ”. When we let our light shine we can also make clear why it shines and where it comes from. A lot of people are turned off today not only to “Christianity” but to any religious message. The recent Pew poll indicates growing unaffiliated and growing Non-believers. We must first attract others with our authentic joy and peace and love. So yes, let us pray that each of us and the entire Church grows in holiness and in the wisdom of how best to share the truth of it.

Dear Michael,

Thanks again for your reply. We cannot give what we do not have – and so each of us must take our Baptism and Confirmation seriously as Catholics. We may have received those sacraments when we were young, and if we were not well-formed in the faith, we need to take up our Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by God’s grace, learn what we need to learn in order to bring Christ’s Truth to others. Even if we feel we had a good foundation in our youth, we need to keep growing in holiness all our lives. The word “disciple” means learner. We need to keep learning from Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church.

The poor example and in some cases even scandalous examples of those who are Catholic in name only has done more harm to the Church than most realize. We need to live in the Spirit and love as God loves, not as worldly persons live – loving the things of the world to the detriment of our love for God. We cannot serve two masters; we will hate the one and love the other. All of us need to examine ourselves interiorly and honestly answer : “Whom do I serve?” If I want to serve Christ, then I need to listen to and follow Him, walking as He walked. I need to love the Church He founded, and help to build up the Body of Christ in love and in truth.

Come Holy Spirit, purify us, enlighten us, strengthen us! Our Lady of Light, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Dear Michael,

Thanks again for your reply. We cannot give what we do not have – and so each of us must take our Baptism and Confirmation seriously as Catholics. We may have received those sacraments when we were young, and if we were not well-formed in the faith, we need to take up our Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by God’s grace, learn what we need to learn in order to bring Christ’s Truth to others. Even if we feel we had a good foundation in our youth, we need to keep growing in holiness all our lives. The word “disciple” means learner. We need to keep learning from Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church.

The poor example and in some cases even scandalous examples of those who are Catholic in name only has done more harm to the Church than most realize. We need to live in the Spirit and love as God loves, not as worldly persons live – loving the things of the world to the detriment of our love for God. We cannot serve two masters; we will hate the one and love the other. All of us need to examine ourselves interiorly and honestly answer : “Whom do I serve?” If I want to serve Christ, then I need to listen to and follow Him, walking as He walked. I need to love the Church He founded, and help to build up the Body of Christ in love and in truth.

Come Holy Spirit, purify us, enlighten us, strengthen us! Our Lady of Light, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.

 

[Rosebud77]

As I am travelling to the market where I trade etc I pray quietly, " Help me to be a Thee to all I meet today…" That prayer is often honoured

 

[MariaChristi]

As I am travelling to the market where I trade etc I pray quietly, " Help me to be a Thee to all I meet today…" That prayer is often honoured

Dear Rosebud,

Thanks for your reply. May you always bring the Good News of Jesus, as our Mother Mary did on this earth, and as she continues to bring Him to us each day.

"O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in your servants, in the spirit of holiness, in the fullness of your power, in the perfection of your ways, in the truth of your virtues, in the communion of your mysteries. Rule over every adverse power, in your Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen. " – Prayer of Father Jean Jacques Olier, S.S. (1608-1657)

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Things have changed so much since the days of the early Church. Back then few people knew about Jesus. Evangelization was about spreading the word. It seem today everyone has at leas heard of Jesus. And yet in our own neighborhoods there may be people who have been “unchurched”, never brought up in any denomination and have not read the Bible. I know such a person. Nice lady, college graduate but never had the formation we might take for granted. She has lots of question about Mary, the Eucharist, the Trinity, the death of Jesus. None of it makes any sense to her. She never had need for God. She doesn’t consider herself and atheist though. I think she is willing to hear but needs some inspiration.

 

[MariaChristi]

Things have changed so much since the days of the early Church. Back then few people knew about Jesus. Evangelization was about spreading the word. It seem today everyone has at leas heard of Jesus. And yet in our own neighborhoods there may be people who have been “unchurched”, never brought up in any denomination and have not read the Bible. I know such a person. Nice lady, college graduate but never had the formation we might take for granted. She has lots of question about Mary, the Eucharist, the Trinity, the death of Jesus. None of it makes any sense to her. She never had need for God. She doesn’t consider herself and atheist though. I think she is willing to hear but needs some inspiration.

Dear Michael,

Sounds as if you may be the one called to help her. How is your own level of devotion to, and knowledge of, Our Blessed Mother? If you have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (and I hope you do), that is a great resource for answering questions. You can check the index and see how many different aspects of Catholic Teaching on Mary are included in the Catechism. It gives you the assurance also of answering questions with the authoritative teachings of the Church based on Scripture, tradition and the Magisterium. Too many people give merely opinions without any reference to actual Church teachings.

If you do not have a copy of the Catechism, you can purchase one (make sure it is the 2nd edition) HERE . You can also find the online version (not as easy to use if you’ve never used the print version - but still helpful) HERE

Knowledge of Mary helps a person draw closer to Christ. Some of us knew Jesus before our devotion to Mary began to develop (much like the early days of the Church) but the testimony of the saints and the teaching of the Church assures us that grace comes to us through Mary. If you have never read the small treatise of St. Louis de Montfort on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary”, I highly recommend it for you. It would be more than a newcomer to the faith could handle but it is a great way for a Catholic to grow. It can be read online HERE.

Let us pray for this dear lady and all those who are looking for answers – that by God’s Grace, they may let themselves be drawn closer to Jesus through Mary, our Mother.

 

[Casilda]

Curious, why the 2nd edition? I have the first edition. I used it much like you suggested, but mostly to correct wrong assumptions made by other Christians.

I do have a later edition in Spanish, it says it was translated out of the 1997 ed. Mine is 1994.

 

[MariaChristi]

Curious, why the 2nd edition? I have the first edition. I used it much like you suggested, but mostly to correct wrong assumptions made by other Christians.

I do have a later edition in Spanish, it says it was translated out of the 1997 ed. Mine is 1994.

Dear Casilda,

The second edition was revised with the official Latin text and is more accurate than the first edition. The first edition was translated from the French and published in 1994. In September of 1997, the 2nd edition was approved and promulgated by Pope John Paul II.

The second edition in the United States of the Catechism of the Catholic Church incorporates the modifications that appeared in the Latin text. The modifications were not that many and at first publishers issued a small pamphlet indicating the changes in the text. I remember going through our first edition and trying to make corrections, but we eventually bought the second edition.

In trying to make the corrections I realized how very precise theology needs to be and how the Latin helped convey certain concepts. So I always recommend it.

 

[Casilda]

Good to know, that you.

 

[MariaChristi]

Good to know, thank you.

Dear Casilda,

Thanks for asking! I can’t remember the few corrections that needed to be made but I remember one of them had to do with the Trinity – I think that is when I realized how precise theology needs to be! The little pamphlet was really inadequate for me because even though the corrections were few, a person who had the first edition would not know what corrections were needed without consulting the pamphlet and that is tedious and distracting. If I remember correctly the correction in regard to the Trinity had to do with the proper use of one word and I can’t remember which – it was either “unity” or “union” or ?? It’s just too long ago now to remember. I’m just grateful we have the 2nd Edition .

Hopefully only second editions are being sold (except for cheaper second-hand first editions, which I suspect have no pamphlets included). If you are using the Catechism especially to help explain anything to non-Catholics, it is best to use the most accurate and authoritative text you can use, and as prayerfully as you can. Helping anyone open themselves to God’s Holy Spirit, it’s good to remember words St. Therese of Lisieux wisely said: “Everything is Grace!”

 

[Googler]

Thanks for the reminder sister. I still have the original edition from 1995 without an index. I now see that this Second Edition that’s been out since 2000 (Googler, wake up & smell the coffee!) is Revised in Accordance With the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II, has a larger format which makes it easier to work with than many of the smaller pocket versions and wide margins for personal notes and thoughts, and the only one with a glossary and extensive index.
Whoo Hoo!! Let’s go read the CCC2 and let the Holy Spirit guide our souls!

Let us continually resolve to keep God on our minds so we can have prayerful hearts.
Let us recognize the people in our lives that need what we can give them like visiting the lonely, encouraging the fearful, and comforting the sorrowful.

Mary, Mother of our Redeemer, we want to be faithful to your divine Son and witness to His truth to everyone who enters our lives. We need your intercession, dear Mary, for the grace of Jesus to rise above our human weakness, and thus give witness to the world that love comes from God and will never end. Amen.
Mary, Queen of Apostles and Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks for the reminder sister. I still have the original edition from 1995 without an index. I now see that this Second Edition that’s been out since 2000 (Googler, wake up & smell the coffee!) is Revised in Accordance With the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II, has a larger format which makes it easier to work with than many of the smaller pocket versions and wide margins for personal notes and thoughts, and the only one with a glossary and extensive index.
Whoo Hoo!! Let’s go read the CCC2 and let the Holy Spirit guide our souls!

Let us continually resolve to keep God on our minds so we can have prayerful hearts.
Let us recognize the people in our lives that need what we can give them like visiting the lonely, encouraging the fearful, and comforting the sorrowful.

Mary, Mother of our Redeemer, we want to be faithful to your divine Son and witness to His truth to everyone who enters our lives. We need your intercession, dear Mary, for the grace of Jesus to rise above our human weakness, and thus give witness to the world that love comes from God and will never end. Amen.
Mary, Queen of Apostles and Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.

Thanks for your humble and earnest reply, dear brother!

Yes, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is indeed a great gift and the Revised 2nd Edition is the best translation, with an excellent Index and Glossary, so it is an invaluable tool, helping us to bring the Good News of Jesus to others – just as Mary went “with haste” to bring Her Son to her cousin Elizabeth and to little John the Baptist in his mother Elizabeth’s womb.

In several different threads this month I’ve discussed the vision of Mother Teresa of Calcutta revealed by Fr. Langford, MC in his book, “Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady”. I continue to ponder her words and the artist’s rendition of this vision. Fr. Langford has given us a new and deeper insight into what our own relationship with Mary can be, it seems to me.

The Church exists to evangelize and we are all called from our baptism to do as Mary did. Mary as Mother and Model shows us the Church as it is intended to be. We must also listen as Mary did, and ponder God’s Word in Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church if we are to bring the fullness of His Truth. By God’s Grace may we be docile to the Holy Spirit and do the Truth we hear as our Mother Mary did on this earth.

For anyone who has never begun to read the Catechism, I pass on the good advice that was given to my husband and me when the Catechism was first published. Our holy priest - friend and Pastor told us to begin by reading section 4 on “Prayer”. We did. It remains for us, the most beautiful part among all the beautiful parts of the Catechism.

 

[Googler]

Like Mary, make haste with joy and adventure, not fear or worry, to announce to others the greatness of God who has come to dwell among us.
Fear does not need to cripple us from taking right action or rob us of our trust and reliance on God. Courage working with faith enables us to embrace God’s word of truth and love with confidence and to act on it with firm hope in God’s promises. The love of God strengthens us in our faith and trust in Him and enables us to act with justice and kindness towards our neighbor even in the face of opposition or harm.
Mary and Elizebeth, with Jesus and John, became the first Christian community.
Marys only focus was always the light and love and limitless possiblility of Christ’s presence.
We poor sinners must stop dwelling on impossibility and entertaining cynicism leading to despair.
In the face of every horrible trial, suffering, trouble, worry, adversity, fear, sorrow, temptation, or impending doom, remember, Christ is ever present to us!
He is here at our time of testing and our hour of need. We should never forget He is always with us.
And with the Master, who or what can be against us?!
“It is I, do not be afraid.”