Evangelization; it's not a scary word!
Mary Jane Sullivan
Sr. Director of Evangelization
Who? Me & You! That’s who! I will save “You” for later. Three years ago my title changed from “Director of Religious Education” to “Director of Evangelization”. As a long-time Catholic I was not very familiar with the word “evangelization” because it felt more like a Protestant rather than a Catholic term to me. As I learned more about it through meetings and seminars, and more meetings and seminars, I grew to love and embrace my new title and position.
What? The dictionary definition for evangelization is “to preach the gospel.” The word originated between 1350-1400 as a way to proselytize or to proclaim the good news of Jesus. I prefer to think of it as sharing something that is too good to keep to myself.
Where? We begin within St. Josaphat, in our pews, our school, through all of our ministries. Then we begin to reach outside our walls to those who don’t worship with us but might be seeking for something more. Those who might be longing to hear the Word of God but just don’t know it yet.
Why? Because we want to share our joy of knowing and walking with Jesus with others. Just like when we see a good movie or find a great new restaurant or try a delicious recipe we want to share it with our friends and our family. A deep, close and loving relationship with Jesus is something that we MUST share because it helps us to rejoice in good times and to get through our struggles in difficult times.
When? NOW! We begin now because we do not know the day or time of Jesus’ return. We don’t know how much time we have left. We catch ourselves saying, “I will start really praying tomorrow” or “next month I am going to start going to Sunday Mass.” The Bible reminds us to be ready. “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”(Mt. 24:36) “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”(1Thess. 5:2) “Lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.”(Mk. 13:36)
How? We start by sharing our journey with others by witnessing through our words and actions. We share our stories of faith by telling others how our relationship with Jesus has strengthened us and brought us joy. We tell someone we will pray for them when they tell us of their struggle or we pray for them right then and there. We attend Alpha as a way to share our faith with others while also strengthening our own relationship with Jesus. We, as a couple, sign up for the Alpha Marriage Course to bring Jesus into our sacramental life of marriage. Growing our own faith life is our first step toward evangelizing others.
Who? YOU! Many people believe that you have to work for the church to be a witness, to evangelize, to share your faith. YOU are the church. WE are the church and we have to do this work together. I am sure it is no coincidence that today’s gospel from Mark says:
Jesus summoned his twelve and
sent them out two by two…
Consider yourself SENT!
