Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 18, 2007 - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
[1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38]Jesus said to his disciples, "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you....."
Sunday evening, I will begin a parish mission at a church about 16 miles from here in a small Kentucky village called Calvary. The title of the mission is "The Acceptable Time" which is taken from an Ash Wednesday reading. The basic subject of the mission will be evangelization. The gospel scripture for today is a good sample of evangelization, but it is also one that could intimidate. Catholics are not known for evangelization in general. We associate the term with our brothers and sisters of other Christian denominations. This is sad because it means that somehow Catholicism becomes tied up in ritual and custom and the message of Jesus gets lost in private faith. Imagine yourself as a Catholic telling someone directly: "Love your enemies!" Do we even say that "indirectly" by the witness of our conduct? Jesus addresses some startling words to his disciples. These words concern first the oppressed and poor among his disciples. They are told they must love those who oppress them. The "Golden Rule" must prevail: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." However, this is not a matter of reciprocity. That is the second part of the address to the disciples, especially those who were well off. In the Middle East, hospitality has precisely the function of creating a situation of reciprocity. Jesus tells his disciples to give without expecting anything in return. Do we believe this? If so, can we share the message with others, including our fellow Catholics? The sharing of the message of Jesus is evangelization. St. Francis of Assisi is supposed to have said, "Preach the gospel. If necessary, use words!" Pope Paul VI, in his wonderful document, EVANGELII NUNTIANDI (The Good News to be Proclaimed!) points out that people may indeed be tired of words and look for living example. With Lent coming up, it might be worthwhile to ask ourselves in what way we can "evangelize" by our living example as well as by our words. Can we overcome our fears of speaking from a heart of faith? AMEN
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