In the Gospel today there is a beautiful conversation between Jesus Christ and God the Father. Jesus is the perfect evangelist, stating that he has revealed the name of God to all people. It is no mistake that the First Reading also shows Paul explaining all the steps he has taken to bring people into the life of the Gospel. Both Paul and Jesus know that their hour has come and that they will be put to death for the things they have preached, but they move forward steadfastly to accomplish their mission.
Many of us are probably not called to be martyrs for the Lord, but these two texts of Scripture highlight the importance of evangelization, modeling how to do it and giving reasons why we have a responsibility to preach the good news to all. This might be a little scary or overwhelming for those of us who do not feel as worthy as a Paul or Jesus to preach the Gospel, but the Catechism is clear that all men should be willing to give the reason for the joy that they have in Christ.
More than just giving us a missionary mandate, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 6) outlines three ways we can bring the Gospel to all people. “The initial proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse faith; examination of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; celebration of the sacraments; integration into the ecclesial community; and apostolic and missionary witness.”
It may seem daunting to try to articulate all of these principles, but the reality is that all of us have been given specific gifts that will lend themselves to one of these specific areas. Some have been blessed with a higher knowledge of spiritual truths, others have been blessed with the gift of hospitality to help serve their fellow man, and still others have a deep prayer life that you can always count on when you need someone to speak to God on your behalf. Maybe during this Easter season we can ask the Lord what gifts he has given us and how specifically he is calling us to preach the Gospel.
All of us are called to give a reason for the hope within us. God wants you to be a part of his glorious plan to save all men. All we have to do is pray, trust in the gifts we have been given, and take courage from the grace the Lord gives us. As St. John Paul II said so many times during his pontificate, “Be not afraid”. God believes in you. Trust that God hasn’t made a mistake. You can be an incredible witness to the Gospel!
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr Reading 1 Tb 1:3; 2:1a-8 I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my lifeon the paths of truth and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface was an English Benedictine monk who made it his life’s mission to convert the Germanic tribes to Christianity. He found it was no easy task and ended up giving his life for the cause. Boniface was martyred on June 5, 754.