Hi, I’m Beth Schuele. I’m delighted to present Lesson 5 of module 1 of the online basic evangelization training. The module is Introduction to Evangelization, and the lesson is “Introduction to the Spiritual Life of the Evangelist.”
As evangelists we are stepping into the mission of the church. And to do that well, we need to make sure our spiritual life is in order. Anyone who has tried it recognizes that evangelization is not an academic exercise. We are not reporters stating facts; we must be witnesses passing on our lived experience of Jesus Christ. Also, evangelization is not merely a matter of human dialogue on a natural level, with point-counterpoint, as we work through dogma, and persuade people with our arguments. I’ve tried that in the past and it doesn’t work!
One time I was evangelizing and there was a gentleman reading his red letter Bible. He was clearly a fundamentalist and had very particular beliefs about the Lord. He said he didn’t quite understand what we thought about Mary. And I talked back and forth about it, thinking that he was going to say about how we worship Mary, and I could easily push that aside. But he didn’t say that. He said something way off – something that was offensive. Oh my gosh, I stood back, and the gloves were off. I started going back and forth with him, battling, trying to prove my point.
Then I had to say, “Whoa, wait a minute, nobody is getting close to the Lord with this conversation. It’s not about me, it’s not about my arguments. No, evangelization is supernatural. It involves the conversion of heart. Since God is the one who convicts hearts, as evangelists we must tap into that power. Therefore, a certain interior attitude must be present and animate the work of evangelization. Among them is a docility of heart to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. We must also exclude the joy of Jesus so we will attract others and be an authentic witness to his love and transforming power. And like Jesus in the Garden, we must love those we evangelize and truly desire their eternal salvation.
This necessary interior attitude comes from our spiritual life. Our relationship with the Lord will inform and direct our evangelization. So, let’s look at the spiritual life of an evangelist.
The spiritual life is actually a journey — a journey away from self and selfishness, and a journey towards God. It’s wanting what God wants, loving what God loves. It’s living a life that honors and gives glory to God. On this journey we strive to grow in holiness and unite our will to God’s will. We strive to respond to the grace God gives us and yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we gradually turn our self over to the God who loves us more than we can imagine.
When we do this, God does not disappoint. As we willingly place ourselves in His loving hands, our minds and hearts become gradually transformed into the mind and heart of Jesus. When this happens, it is no longer we that live and act, but Jesus Christ lives and acts within us. Like I said, this is a journey. It unfolds over our lifetime. Now because God is infinite, this journey never ends, and we can always grow closer to God. And because we are human, this journey is sporadic, with fits and starts as we struggle with the freedom God gave us. But it’s in that struggle that we overcome the obstacles that keep us from God.
By living a healthy spiritual life, we will be more fruitful as evangelists. God will give us the gift to witness his saving power working in others. This is the best part of evangelization. Seeing God pierce the heart of the person you’re talking to. It’s happened to me many times, and I never get tired of it. I remember one time I was talking to a teen named Kyle. He was a student and he was just walking through the park when I stopped him and asked if he needed prayer. He was kind of, you know, like teenagers are, and he said, “Well, okay, pray for my grandma.” So we did this really short prayer praying for his grandma. In bringing the prayer in, Jesus jumped into that encounter. After we prayed, Kyle looked at me and said, “You know, I was supposed to die once, but I didn’t.”
Whoa! That opened up a beautiful conversation and we started talking. He told me about his grandma, and how his grandma prayed the rosary and prayed for him. It was amazing to see how the Lord transformed him in that way, and we talked about how odd it was to have that conversation – all the things that God had to orchestrate in order for us to be there. He recognized God in his life through that small encounter. And all I did was do a simple prayer.
It’s a great privilege to evangelize — to introduce someone to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to help them on their journey. We must allow the Lord will fuel and direct our work of evangelization. We all must develop a strong spiritual life. Jesus tells us, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5) So let’s abide in Him.