In That Man Is You, we study to Joseph as a model of fatherhood. Although Joseph utters no words in the Bible, his actions demonstrate consistent obedience to God’s will for him. In this fifth day of the Octave of Christmas, the Gospel of Luke describes the Presentation of Jesus in the temple to Simeon.
The Presentation is one of those examples where he takes Mary and Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to present his adopted son, according to the law of the time.
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple - Guido Da Siena
The fruit of this Joyful mystery is obedience.
“When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
‘Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,’
and to offer the sacrifice of
‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,’
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.”
I wonder about my obedience to the lessons taught to us by Christ Jesus. I have noticed, for example, that I have the urge to correct others when they misrepresent Christianity or (more often Catholicism). I want to reply to atheist bloggers who appear to be spiritually unreachable.
I want to set people straight and give them the good news.
In these moments, I remember the Parable of the 10 Virgins and a lesson on that parable from Archbishop Chaput. He was speaking about the 5 virgins that refused to lend their oil to the unprepared virgins. Some Christians may think the 5 prepared virgins were not charitable. Archbishop stated that there are some things that cannot be lended – most notably our faith.
He offered reasons that our faith cannot be transferred and one that stuck with me is that it takes time and effort to learn about Christianity. It takes dedication to be a disciple and figure out the ways I can proclaim my faith.
For example as a father, I want more than anything for my children to be devout Catholics. I will do everything in my power to explain our faith, transmit the Gospel, and train them in the sacraments. Ultimately, they must chose of their own free wills to be devout – much like I chose to convert to Catholicism. All I that is within my control is to be like Joseph – an example of obedience to the will of God for my life.
So when I want to evangelize others by correction and judgement, first I stop and consider their free wills. I remember that the spiritual experiences of others does not equate to my own – particularly because I am a convert – we tend to be enthusiastic about our choice!
It breaks my heart when I read a blog that begins, “I was raised Catholic” that then proceeds to cite reasons for disbelieve and the reasons are not actually Catholic doctrine. I am saddened when I read examples of people who turn away from God because they feel threatened by the judgement of Christians. Christian hypocrisy become a wedge for them.
In being obedient in an evangelical situation, all that is in my control is to be an authentic Christian. It is in my power through the gifts of the Holy Spirit to show faith, hope and charity. I can avoid judgment and bite my tongue because I am not God. My role is not to criticize or correct misunderstandings as I see them because this is judgment, not charity.
I would add that obedience does not mean I am passive in my efforts to share the good news. It means that I look for opportunities to discuss my faith, rather than forcing THE TRUTH into a conversation. St. Paul tells us that people are attracted to the truth but if they do not see it within my actions as a self-proclaimed devout Christian, then no amount of evangelical efforts will change someone’s mind.
Ultimately, Christians and Catholics will win many more converts if they simply love all brothers and sisters (regardless of their religious beliefs or not) as Christ loves his Church.
†
You might also like:
I'm sorry, I was sleeping
9 ways to ascend the mountain
Behold, your mother
Bless me Father for I was drunk
Today we remember Saint Thomas Becket
Related articles
- 13th Sunday of Luke; Lk 18:18-27- Don’t throw your life away to nothingness, but throw your life completely over to God in faith (modeoflife.org)
- A slave to what? (cinhosa.wordpress.com)
- How to conquer anything (cinhosa.wordpress.com)
- Cliques Don’t Belong in Church (reflectionstoday.wordpress.com)
Discussion
One Response to “Balancing obedience and evangelization”