July 6, 2025

14^thSunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Evangelizers of Joy, Courage, and Trust

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

A priest friend placed a sign on the gate to the entrance of his church which reads:

When you were baptized, your parents took you to church.
When you were confirmed, your sponsor took you to church.
When you marry, your spouse takes you to church.
When you die, the pallbearers will take you to church.
Why not try coming on your own once in a while!

He, like us, would like to see our churches full and vibrant every Sunday! How can that happen? Today’s Gospel relates how Our Lord sent out 72 disciples in pairs ahead of him to the places he intended to visit. They were the first Christian missionaries. Why 72 and why in pairs? In Jesus’ time, 72 was thought to be the number of the nations of the world. So, St. Luke is reminding us that the mission of the Church is universal.
 
Why in pairs? For mutual support and encouragement. That’s the approach of Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses. We have to admire their commitment and zeal!
 
On a cold and rainy day George responded to a knock at his door where he found two very damp and shivering Jehovah Witnesses who asked if they could come in. George couldn’t leave them in the rain and invited them in. Seated in the living room, they were silent for a long time. Finally, George asked, “What happens now?” The older one said, “We don’t know, We never got this far before.”
 
How far do we ever get when it comes to speaking about our faith? Every Christian by virtue of baptism is a missionary, not necessarily to a foreign land. (although some of you might love to send me to one).
 
For most of us, our mission field is our own back yard: our home, our family, our friendships, our workplace! Faith is always personal, but it is never private. It must be shared. St. John Paul II said, “No believer in Christ…can avoid this supreme duty.” How can we carry out this duty? How do we draw people to Christ and the Church? Are we to be like Mormons and go from house to house? Some of you might say, “What can you expect from me? After all, I’m a senior citizen! I’ve reached the snapdragon years of my life—parts of me have snapped and the rest of me is dragging! I get excited when I can find my car in the parking lot!”
 
I’d like to suggest three things we can do:

The first is to be joyful about our faith. Pope Francis said, “We cannot proclaim Christ with funeral faces,” Our faith is always serious but never somber. Joy attracts. Let’s meet the apathy and even the hostility of a secularized world with the joy that comes from a strong spiritual life.
 
The second is to have the courage to be different. When we look the same, hold the same opinions as anyone else, who needs us? When we are as dark or unfocused as anyone else, or become a vague echo of the prevailing culture, what difference can we make in the lives of others? Blending in never attracts. We might face indifference, criticism, or ridicule but we must evangelize with a heart that is not afraid” and to speak the truth to others always will love.
 
The third thing to do is trust. Trust is possessing a lively and literal sense of God’s reality, power, and benevolence. To trust is to know that God is always present and at work. Ultimately evangelization is not a human enterprise. It is God’s work. If we want to witness a resurgence of the practice of the faith, we have to take our missionary duty seriously.
 
A missionary is always zealous for the well-being and salvation of others. A missionary ever just plods along. May we draw others to the Lord and the Church through the joy, courage and trust others see in us. May Our Lady, Bright Star of Evangelization, walk with us!