Introduction: “As the Father sent me, so I send you”
Hi, I’m Father Patrick Gonyeau and I’m delighted to present lesson 4 of module 3 of the Online Basic Evangelization Training video series. The module is “Theology of Evangelization” and the lesson is “The Call to Evangelize.”
When Jesus called James and John to be his disciples, “Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me’ and I will make you fishers of men. Then they left their nets and followed him.” Who on earth does that…leaves everything behind at the drop of a hat? Perhaps James and John had already experienced something utterly different and amazing when Jesus was in their presence and spoke in a way like none had ever heard before. Perhaps the very voice of Jesus making an invitation in the power of his love pierced the hearts of James and John in a way that changed their lives forever. I’ve had the blessing of seeing this happen….
I’ll never forget the night a rather fiery Pentecostal minister walked into the sacristy after I had finished celebrating Mass. She proceeded to tell me her story. That very day, she was on a train ride home from the west side of the State when she heard the Lord tell her, “I want you to visit the Catholic Church.” In Obedience to the Lord, she got home and went that very night. The power of the mass moved her…and she felt compelled to come and talk to me. As she was explaining to me how inspired she was by the Mass, I felt the Lord speaking in a quiet interior voice in my mind….I was hearing…“Eucharist, Eucharist, Eucharist.” I waited patiently for her to finish, and when she did I asked her “do you know why the Lord brought you here tonight?” She was silent. When I said “the Eucharist”, it turned out to be a moment of revelation for her.
You see, it turns out that she was Catholic as a child, but had long ago written off Catholicism. She had even written a manuscript for an unpublished book titled “The Catholic Girl who found the True Church.” Yet, with two lightning bolts from the Lord (one on the train and one after the mass), the Lord Jesus absolutely pierced this woman’s heart and she “left her nets behind” like James and John. When I saw her get confirmed at the Easter Vigil, it was clear she was passionate about the fullness of the Catholic faith into which Jesus had brought her. And she is now, praise God, a wonderful Catholic Evangelist.
Whether it be through a magnificent moment that pierces a heart with the glorious overwhelming love of God in an instant, or whether it’s a journey that leads someone to finally drop their nets and follow him after experiencing the life-changing truth of the Gospel, the Lord calls! And how marvelous that the Lord Jesus has given us the tremendous gift of the Holy Spirit to enable us to have his heart for the world around us, so we can help others experience the call of Jesus, “come, follow me.” And once we follow Jesus, as we live passionately as his disciples, he can say to us…“As the Father sent me, so I send you.”
Jesus sends us out to do (with him!) just as he did: proclaim and demonstrate the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, and invite every single person we can to respond to his invitation to life with him!