I find this week of the liturgical calendar to be one of the most interesting and inviting, yet also one of the most challenging of the Church year. We wrap up the Easter season by celebrating the Ascension of our blessed Lord into heaven, and begin the transition from the Easter celebration, through Pentecost, and on into Ordinary time. Just imagine what the the Apostles were feeling, after all they experienced with the passion, death, and resurrection of our blessed Lord and now His triumphant ascension into heaven. On top of that, they have been promised power through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and have been entrusted to continue Christ's mission through the Catholic Church. Let's face it, there is nothing ordinary about that. Yet, here we are...spiritually speaking, the same transition, the same challenge, the same mission, and yes, the same promise of power and the same promise of the Holy Spirit.
As we listened to the Gospel today, the last command Jesus gave the Apostles before ascending into heaven was, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Since that time, the bishops of the Catholic Church, who are the successors to the Apostles, along with the priests and deacons have continued the mission that Christ gave to the Apostles.
Yet, we would be in err if we didn't recognize the rightful responsibility of the laity to actively participate in the mission of the Church as well.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen famously declared that it would not be the bishops, nor the priests, nor the religious that save the Catholic Church (Word on Fire). He firmly believed that it would be the active participation of the laity that is key to the success of Christ's mission on Earth.
In his encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium, which is latin for Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis reminds us that the mission of the Church is evangelization and that each of the baptized are called to actively participate in this mission (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). He goes so far as to say that authentic faith involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it (Evangelii Gaudium, 183).
Yet, St. James reminds us, faith without works is dead (James 2:17). In a world of distractions, conflicting priorities, and consistent busyness, a deep desire simply is not enough. Pope Francis goes on to say that it is no longer possible to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only to prepare souls for heaven (Evangelii Gaudium, 182). We have to begin to step outside of ourselves to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit around us. We must be an active participant in the mission of the Church reaching out to our neighbors, especially the poor, and introducing them to the fullness of Christ in the Catholic Church.
Does this sound like a daunting proposition? Fear not! As we read today in the letter to the Ephesians, Jesus gives grace to individuals in His Church for the continuance of the mission Christ gave to the Catholic Church (Ephesians 4:7,12). Just as the Holy Spirit was poured upon the Apostles to give them the grace to help them in their missionary work. So to, the Holy Spirit will provide all the grace we need to fulfill how we are called to participate in the mission.
There are several principles we can follow to more fully participate in a missionary community and truly witness to Christ through faith, hope, and love.
Always trust that our blessed Lord takes the initiative in any evangelical opportunity (Evangelii Gaudium, 24). We just need to step with Him. Even if an evangelical effort appears to fail, we can trust Jesus will bring about the good He intended to bring out of the effort.
Be patient with and responsive to the needs of others. Offer appropriate support when the oppportunity arises (Evangelii Gaudium, 24). Jesus was clear that He wants us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, and visit the ill and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-40). We need to be open to the people Christ sends into our lives for us to journey with them in their struggles, helping introduce them to Christ and His Church as we service to them.
Be concerned with bearing fruit through our efforts for the good of others (Evangelii Gaudium, 24). The ultimate act of love of neighbor is to bring them closer to Christ through the Sacramental life of the Church, especially the Eucharist. Jesus even said, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (John 6:53). We need to be responsive to opportunities to invite our family, friends, and neighbors to the heavenly banquet our blessed Lord prepared for us at the Mass.
Take the time to be joyful and rejoice often (Evangelii Gaudium, 24). Pope Francis reminds us, “an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral (Evangelii Gaudium, 10).” We should always be mindful of the attitude we project when evangelizing. He encourages us to “recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow” (Evangelii Gaudium, 10). One of the best ways I know to do this is to always find something to be grateful for and help others to be grateful as well.
Be flexible and reach out often (Evangelii Gaudium, 28). Pope Francis reminds us “the parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration (Evangelii Gaudium, 28).” Find ways to increase our active participation in the Mass and other liturgical celebrations. Be open to opportunities to join small faith groups and other parish committees. Additionally, participate in parish outreach programs to inactive parishioners, home-bound parishioners, and the like. 4-H groups teach “that which we keep for ourselves, we lose; but that which we give away, we keep.” They do this by getting out of themselves by helping someone else. They call it the Joy of Service (4-H). The same axiom applies to our spiritual lives. If we want to continue to consistently experience the joy of the Gospel, we must regularly participate in the evangelical mission of the Church by getting outside ourselves and reaching out to someone else.
Continue to improve as an evangelizer (Evangelii Gaudium, 28). Pope Francis reminds us “a missionary heart never closes itself off, never retreats into its own security, never opts for rigidity and defensiveness. It realizes that it has to grow in its own understanding of the Gospel and in discerning the paths of the Spirit, and so it always does what good it can, even if in the process, its shoes get soiled by the mud of the street (Evangelii Gaudium, 45).” It is important that we continue to grow in our understanding of the Gospel and the faith. Some examples of how to do this is to study scripture, read good books related to the faith, join a small faith discussion group, work with a spiritual director, and the like.
Seek to abandon complacent attitudes (Evangelii Gaudium, 33). There is an old axiom, if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind. No where is that more true than our spiritual life and how we evangelize. Ideally, we are continually growing closer to the Lord and helping those the Lord places in our life to continually grow closer to Him as well. Do we have an increased awareness of God's presence in our life and how He interacts with us compared to the past? Do we see an increased display of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives compared to the past? Do you find others seek you out for advice and support more than in the past? If not, now may be the time for us to challenge our spiritual status quo. This can be done by reaching out beyond our comfort level in service to others. Spiritual direction and small faith groups may also be a help.
As we enter into ordinary time, it is important that we embrace the evangelical mission Christ gave the Apostles in our Gospel reading today. These principles may help us better participate in the mission.
Structure helps me to incorporate these types of principles into my life. If that is true for you, tt may be beneficial to more fully embrace the timeless practice of making every Friday a day of self-denial and penitential witness in memory of the Lord’s ultimate sacrifice for us (Fast). Historically, this was a requirement for the Church whereby the faithful abstained from meat every Friday through out the entire year. Since Vatican II, the requirement to abstain from meat was lessened to only Friday's during Lent. However, we are still encouraged to take up some work of self-denial by free choice on Friday's outside of Lent (Fast). I propose that we take meaningful action to use our time, talent, and/or treasure on Fridays to help the evangelical mission of the Church. Such an exercise can be an excellent way to participate in this call for self-denial and facilitate spiritual growth.
If after employing these principles into our spiritual lives, we still struggle with feeling the joy of the Gospel...if we still find the mission of the Church overwhelming, I recommend participating in a Spiritual Gifts Inventory seminar. These seminars, conducted by the Catholic Renewal Center, help attendees discover their spiritual gifts and offer some ideas on how to use those gifts in the service of our blessed Lord. They are a wonderful resource that can help us to better understand how Christ is calling us to more fully participate in the mission.
A final thought, the Apostles and disciples spent nine days in the upper room following the ascension of the Lord until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. They spent these nine days in prayer, which is where early Christians got the idea for prayer novenas. They prayed about their fears and concerns, surrendering them to the Lord. They prayed to be able to participate in the mission and accept the challenge the Lord gave. They prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They prayed that their hearts would be open to receive the Holy Spirit when that promise was fulfilled. They prayed that they may have the courage and the strength to follow the Holy Spirit. They prayed to surrender their life and their will to the Holy Spirit in that His will, as opposed to their will, would be done.
I ask that you consider spending this week reflecting on the upper room. Imagine yourself in the upper room with our Blessed Mother and the Apostles. Allow yourself to hear the prayers they are praying. Allow yourself to experience the emotions they were feeling after all they had experienced with the passion, death, and resurrection of our blessed Lord and His triumphant ascension into heaven. Allow yourself to experience the anticipation they must have felt over the promise of the Holy Spirit, and perhaps the anxiety they may have felt over the impending mission. Allow these emotions to become your own emotions. Pray that your heart will be opened for the fullness of the Holy Spirit and pray for a personal Pentecost in your life. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you hear God's calling for you, give you power, and lead you in your work on the mission the Lord has given us.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us now take this intention to the alter as we prepare to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and Savior.
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