Introductory Story
The odds were stacked against him. John was so full of anxiety that no one who knew him well as a young man could have thought that he would later become a street evangelist.
But God had other plans. When John was a little boy, about 3 years old, the Lord spoke to him. While playing in the living room of his home, he received a sudden, overwhelming, happy, peaceful, certain awareness of God – The Father, and the Son. It didn’t startle or perplex him, but seemed the most natural thing in the world, as if he had always known them intimately. Radiant with joy, he immediately got up and found a piece of paper and crayons, went back to his spot on the floor, and drew two stick-figures, one big, and the other small. “Who is this?” his mother asked … “God,” he answered. “What about this one?” “Jesus,” he said, with a huge smile on his face. He then went back to the living room to play.
When he was a teenager, John’s anxiety was very pronounced, and he found it impossible to decide what to do with his life. When he was in college, his anxiety got worse. At the same time, he began to pray with the Scriptures under the guidance of a priest in preparation for a retreat. During that time of preparation, and during the retreat itself, the Lord made Himself known to John again in powerful ways. He revealed His divine mercy and loving providence over John’s life. At one point during the retreat his anxiety and his burgeoning spiritual life came together. John’s anxiety reached a high pitch in an agony of fear that he would die young. Then, through Psalm 118, the Lord spoke directly into this agony and consoled him: “The right hand of the Lord is exalted … I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord” (vv. 16-17).
This experience of healing confirmed John in the path he had been discerning: he would “recount the deeds of the Lord.” Despite his continuing anxiety, John pursued that path, dedicating his life to the mission of the Church. His continuing encounters with the Lord became the oil that fueled his participation in the work of evangelization. Gradually, his anxiety decreased. And as his anxiety decreased, so his fruitfulness as an evangelist increased.
Evangelization Flows from the Spiritual Life
Have you ever noticed that when you’re excited about something, you talk about it? Whether it’s the new restaurant that opened up in town, a good movie, or a new friend—people like to talk about the things that please them. They also talk about things that have helped them—things they’ve personally used: a certain gadget, a certain course, a certain philosophy of life, a diet that works. When we meet people talking about things they enjoy or things that have helped them, we are often inclined to take notice and perhaps try it for ourselves.
But what if you were trying to promote something that you have never really experienced? Could you promote a restaurant you’d never been to? Could you recommend a gadget that’s been in a box in someone else’s house? Could you endorse a movie you hadn’t seen? Perhaps you can, in a limited way; but ultimately your recommendation doesn’t hold much weight if you have no experience of the thing you are recommending to others.
When it comes to evangelization, a similar principle applies. If our life has been touched deeply by Christ, if we’ve been changed by Him, we are more inclined to talk about it, and have greater credibility when we do so. That’s the natural way the faith is spread: people who have fallen in love with Jesus share Him with authenticity. People who’ve “tried it” and found out that “it works” share it with others, and are more believable. [1]
Moreover, this principle applies not just once, but continually. If we have once encountered Jesus Christ, we have to continue encountering Him. Daily life (let alone the work of evangelization) puts a certain amount of “wear and tear” on the heart. If we want to remain real Christians (let alone faithful effective evangelists) we need to have a strong spiritual life. Without constantly returning to the Lord and his love for us, we can easily become cynical and forget the love that motivated us at first (see Rv 2:4-5). When this happens, we lose the savor of Christ and no longer feel impelled to share Him. And if we do share Him, we do it without the enthusiasm and authenticity that captures the attention of others.
But all of this goes even deeper. With the help of the Lord, we are capable not only of witnessing to Jesus, but of reflecting Him. By living a healthy spiritual life, 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 (see Gal 2:20). If we are going to be fruitful evangelists, then, we don’t just need to be authentic and enthusiastic about Jesus. We also should BE Jesus. But we can only “be Jesus” in this way when we abide in Him, and He abides in us (see Jn 15). Then He fuels and directs our work of evangelization from the inside. A strong spiritual life is absolutely necessary.
In past lessons, we’ve introduced some of the most central topics for the evangelist. In this lesson, we’ll introduce yet another: the spiritual life. How do we foster union with the Lord through prayer and other spiritual practices? How can we utilize prayer and sacrifice to become more fruitful in the work of evangelization? For the answers, keep reading.
Topic Areas
- 3 How important is prayer? How often should we pray?
- Prayer is breathing
- Pray constantly
- 4 What are some good spiritual disciplines to embrace?
- Dedicated prayer time in Scripture
- Examination of conscience & Confession
- 5 What should we know about rooting out sin?
- 6 What should we know about holiness?
- Each of us has a personal vocation
- It’s not about “trying harder”
- 7 How do we deal with discouragement?
- 8 How do we do spiritual battle for souls?
[1] Pope Saint Paul VI said something to this effect in his apostolic exhortation on evangelization: “The person who has been evangelized goes on to evangelize others. Here lies the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelization: it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn.” Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi [Apostolic exhortation on evangelization in the modern world], December 8, 1965, sec. 24. When you really come to know Jesus, it just happens. You can’t help yourself—you want everyone to know.