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SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER (A) by Fr. Art

I never know at times how I come across to people. Occasionally I do get a direct and sometimes forceful response upon saying something to someone. Those are infrequent occasions. On the whole I'm not aware of what I've said or done has any impact on people at the time. Now, I do try and even succeed at times to present myself in an acceptable and reasonable fashion. As one professing to be a Christian, and ordained to boot, I also try to speak or act in a manner reflective of how I believe I ought to as an ambassador of the faith.

With people in hospital or at meetings, or strangers in the street, or in countless other settings in which I am in contact with people, there is opportunity to be a reflector of the Good News of Jesus Christ. In some cases or circumstances I even speak or write for others to see and hear about God. And I do not often see results, at least not right away.

Yet, on meeting someone I haven't seen in a long time they may say, "I really appreciated your words". And I'm scrambling to think who they are and what on earth I may have said. I had this experience several times in Trenton at the Air Force passenger terminal. A family, mother, father, and two children greet me like
long lost friend. The parents shake my hand and say what it meant to them to have me officiate at their wedding ten years earlier. Or, I visit another parish and someone comes up to me and says, "Your visit to me in hospital four years ago was a great help".

So, I am conscious that as Christians professing our faith here week by week on Sundays, we are also evangelizers for Christ in our day to day activities whether we are aware of the results or not.

Many people may have been touched in some way by you or by me, and we may never know just how, yet that momentary contact made a difference, planted a seed, redirected a soul to God in some mysterious way.

In these last few Sundays of the Easter Season, these fifty days between the Day of Resurrection and the Day of Pentecost, there has been a subtle shift in focus. The first Sundays were joy filled moments of hearing of the Living Christ. Now we are encountering Bible passages that are telling us quietly that if we believe in the Resurrected Christ, become followers of this way of life, we had better take it seriously. Others are watching us. Others of the world are seeking us to show the way. Others thirst and hunger for His righteousness and we may be the ones who water and feed. God will use us to tell the old, old story of Jesus and the Glory!
And we may not even know when it is happening. Or if we do know we may feel we are terrible at this witnessing and sharing. Most of us are constantly reminding ourselves that we certainly do not know enough about it. And God still uses us. We are witnesses whether for the betterment or for the "worsenment" of the Gospel. People we deal with will read out of us what belief in God through Jesus Christ is really all about. So, if we say we love Jesus, and hate our neighbours, guess what message the observer gets.

Everyone who walks into this building and meets us should be able to feel the love. Whether that is good or bad love is something we may never know —— but that people read us is something we do know.

Whether we like it or not we are in the Evangelism business. One of the greatest evangelists had his moments of wonder as to how he was transmitting the message. Paul, visiting one of the great religious cities of the Mediterranean world of his day, saw the numerous displays to gods of the time. He was invited by the philosophers of the city to address them in the place of learning. Paul looked about him, saw all the gods people paid homage to, saw the proliferation of guides that humans followed. He also saw the statue to the unknown god and from this clue addressed the Athenian elite. And he was complimented. His words were heard. Discussion took place. Paul must have felt he had done a good job witnessing to God the Almighty and God's Son Jesus Christ. The scoffers however poured cold water on this euphoric moment. The stumbling block was the Resurrection. For the audience this was too much. And Paul was turned down, He never established a church in Athens.

In this seeming defeat Paul was probably disappointed. And yet he touched a few, "some of them joined him and became believers including Dionysius the Areopagite and a women named Damarus and others with them". Perhaps some who heard remembered this funny man we call St. Paul ten years later and found that they had become believers in the Risen Jesus Christ. Paul would never know  but God would and does.

Jesus said, "I will not leave you orphaned". He told us that the Spirit of God would be with us. The Spirit of truth uses us, makes us ambassadors and witnesses to the Ways of God, helps us to help others, touches others through the vehicle of our life. No, we may not be the best evangelizers but we are God's evangelists whether we like it or not. We are the one's to whom Jesus spoke these words, "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

If you love Jesus, follow his teachings, seek to do the will of God in your daily life, be assured, you are also an evangelist. Perhaps we do not know how effective we are, but God knows.

"Bless our God, you peoples; make the voice of his praise to be heard; who holds our souls in life, and will not allow our feet to slip."

Fr. Art