We introduced this lesson with the idea that “evangelization flows from the spiritual life.” This is of critical importance, and bears repeating again. We cannot fulfill our mission as evangelists — of being fruitful instruments of salvation for others — if we do not have a strong spiritual life. Saint Maximilian Kolbe wrote,
The conversion and sanctification of a soul has been, and shall always be, the work of divine grace. It is impossible to do anything in this field without the grace of God, neither through our words, nor through the press or any other external means. On the contrary, we attain grace for ourselves and for others through our humble prayers, our mortification, and our faithfulness in the fulfillment of our daily duties, including the most simple ones.
The closer the soul is to God, … the more effectively the soul shall be able to help others to attain divine grace, the faster and more abundantly shall its prayer be answered. …
Therefore, the value of every [evangelizing community] depends only and absolutely on our life of prayer, on our interior life, on our personal closeness to the Immaculate [Virgin Mary] and, through her, to the Heart of Jesus.[1]
Saint Maximilian is absolutely right. The external means of evangelization — what we do when we’re out there — listen, befriend, proclaim, invite, and so forth — are useless without the interior, spiritual power we’ve gained as we grow in holiness.
How do we make use of that spiritual power more effectively? How do we wield it for the salvation of others? How do we do spiritual battle for souls?
Imitating the cross of Jesus
The example of Our Lord Jesus, going to His cross, sheds light on these questions. Presuming that you are already pursuing greater communion with God through a strong spiritual life, the next part of utilizing spiritual power for the salvation of souls is exercising the service of intercession. Here are three habits for making this kind of intercession.
- Develop the regular habit of interceding for those you evangelize, and anyone else you know who may be far from God.
When Jesus was crucified, He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). With the same heart of mercy, we ought to regularly—even daily—pray that the Lord might open the hearts of others to the grace of faith, repentance, and salvation.[2] Final salvation is the first, most important need of every human being; and intercession for the conversion of others is the easiest, most basic habit in our spiritual battle for souls. It should be an important part of our prayer lives. Two recommended tools for this kind of intercession—weapons for the battle—are the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. - Develop the regular habit of making spiritual sacrifices for people as you intercede for them.
Jesus went to His crucifixion intentionally. Out of the love of His merciful heart, He willingly made of Himself an offering to atone for our sins. He suffered and died for us. With the same heart of mercy, we ought regularly to make sacrifices for those we evangelize and others. Making a spiritual sacrifice with a heart of love adds strength to our intercession. One great way to sacrifice for others is abstinence from certain foods, or complete fasting, for a period of time. You may, for example, for a week consume only bread and water, as a sacrifice for a friend who had an abortion and left the Church. Another way to sacrifice is to give extra alms to the poor as a spiritual offering on someone’s behalf. Yet another way is to spend an extended, sacrificial amount of time interceding for them—maybe 2 or 3 hours, or more.[3] Also, we can offer up involuntary suffering like illness and persecution. Whenever we make a spiritual sacrifice for someone, we ought to keep that person in mind and intercede for them as we make the sacrifice. - When interceding for others, embrace God’s sorrow for them.[4]
When Jesus went to the cross, He went with sorrow for sinful mankind—sorrow for the harm we inflict upon ourselves by our sins; sorrow for the stubborn hardness of our hearts (see Mt 23:37). We too, then, should sorrow over the plight of those who are far from God or do not know Him. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Mt 5:4). Like Jesus, we should “look straight into the face” of sin, and see it with His eyes. If we see sin for the great evil that it is, and the great weight of sin that the Lord Jesus had to carry in going to His cross, we will sorrow and weep. In doing this, we add strength to our intercession for others. If the tears of Jesus can pay the price of salvation, and we are the body of Christ, what spiritual value might our tears have (see Col 1:24)? A great way to do this is to spend time meditating on sin, judgment, hell, or most especially, the cross of Jesus. Let the truth sink in, and be sorrowful. Then pray from that sorrow.
Doing such spiritual battle for souls is a necessary accompaniment to the work of evangelization.
[1] Maximilian Kolbe, The Writings of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, vol. 1, Letters (Nerbini International, 2016), 1482. Emphasis not in the original.
[2] See Catechism of the Catholic Church, sec. 2634-2636.
[3] When we choose our sacrifices, it is important that we don’t take on too much. It can be very discouraging to fail in our fasting and other sacrifices. Likewise, it is important that we don’t take on too little, so that our “sacrifice” is no real sacrifice. A spiritual director, spiritual guide, or spiritual friend can help us decide if our practices are balanced and healthy.
[4] For more on the role of the passions, like sorrow, for the spiritual life, see Catechism of the Catholic Church, sec. 1767-1775. See especially sections 1769, 1770, and 1775.