During Advent, the priests of the diocese have been encouraged to preach on the kerygma. In case you missed one of their homilies or wish to reflect on the topic further, we are reprinting similar content here. You can access Parts 1, 2, and 3 through our online archives.
When someone says, “I love you,” what’s the appropriate response? You could say, “Thank you,” but even though it might make you laugh when it happens on TV, that probably isn’t what the other person was hoping for.
Last week, I wrote about the importance of gratitude in light of what Jesus Christ did for us, which is true enough. But his actions invite a further response from each of us, and that’s what we’ll explore now.
The difference between a believer and a missionary disciple
The more we reflect on the kerygma and appropriate it for ourselves, letting it transform our priorities and actions, the more we grow as believers. In practice, that looks like greater worship, how we praise and adore God simply for who He is: Our Lord, our Savior, our Father. Picking up on last week’s theme, believers also give thanks, recognizing that everything we have — existence itself — is sheer gift. As we grow in that posture of receptivity, receiving these gifts from God, we learn to offer them back, along with our whole selves, that we might continue to be transfigured by His grace. Such transfiguration typically occurs through a life of prayer and frequent participation in the sacraments, practices that also characterize the life of the believer.
If you’ve been even peripherally aware of Go Make Disciples, you’ve heard the term “missionary disciple.” You might wonder what that really means. Well, first and foremost, a missionary disciple must be a believer, someone with a rich interior life who prioritizes his or her relationship with God above all else.
From there, a missionary disciple looks to help others grow in their own faith. They witness to the love of Jesus through an abundance of spiritual fruits (see Gal 5:22-23): Love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In both their words and their actions, they make known to others the love of God, the basic Good News of what He has done for us through Jesus.
Simply put, this communication of divine love to others is evangelization. It’s the outward radiation of inward holiness, just like a fire communicates heat to everything nearby.
The pursuit of holiness
Just as a fire needs fresh fuel to keep on burning, so do our spiritual lives require ongoing care. At a basic level, we must remain open to ongoing evangelization ourselves. How do others witness to Jesus to me? Am I staying as close to the Lord as I need to be in order to bear fruit in the world?
The foundational component, of course, is our commitment to daily mental prayer, when, to paraphrase St. John Damascene, “We raise our mind and heart to God and request good things from Him.” Along with mental prayer, we should intercede for loved ones and cultivate other devotions, perhaps to the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or something else.
Beyond that essential commitment, we should also pursue spiritual and intellectual formation by reading the Bible, the Catechism, the lives of the saints, and spiritual classics. All of these things help us to discern the voice of God amidst the competing voices of the world, while also cultivating for us an imagination of what it looks like to share the love of God abroad.
That can sound like a lot — and it is! If those practices seem unattainable at the moment, start with the Four Holy Habits that Bishop Hying has been promoting over the past few years:
1. Daily Prayer
It’s easy to over-spiritualize prayer, and we often make it too complicated or idealistic. Talk to God and share yourself with Him in the same way you would with your spouse or a close friend.
2. Reclaiming Sunday
The Lord asks us to rest on Sunday not for His sake, but for ours! We need a day to focus on what really matters: Our relationship with God, and our bonds with family and loved ones.
3. Friday Penance
Without thinking about it in a transactional way, we can’t forget that our sacrifices have a real effect in the world, both to our benefit (through greater detachment and self-mastery) and that of others (often in ways hidden to us).
4. Frequent Confession
It’s easy to approach this sacrament like a laundry list, but God invites us to an examination of the inner conscience. Just as smoke signals the presence of a fire, so does sin signal the presence of a deeper wound or habit that needs the soothing salve of God’s merciful love.
Once we take care of our interior life, our outward, apostolic life will begin to take care of itself, because we will learn to see what God is doing in our lives and where He is inviting us to invest in people and relationships. He will give us opportunities to evangelize by the authentic witness of our lives, by praying with and for others, by teaching and speaking prophetically, by sharing the reason for our hope (see 1 Pt 3:15).
Our missionary work — the central work of the Church — may not be easy, but with the Lord Jesus by our side, this labor will be sweet and not burdensome. So, in the words of our Lord himself, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature!”
If you’d like to get a copy of Bishop Hying’s booklet, reach out to Sarah in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis at [email protected] or 608-821-3045.