YEAR OF SAINT PAUL     By Johnny and Leslie Bertucci    Tenth in a series of Reflections on    the Life of Saint Paul      For the Jubilee Year of St. Paul      June 28, 2008-June 29, 2009

 

 

St Paul and the Call to Evangelization

by Johnny and Leslie Bertucci  

            “The Church exists to evangelize.” These words of wisdom were written by Pope Paul VI in the document Evangelii Nuntiandi. They are also proclaimed by the life and words of his namesake, St. Paul .  In nearly all of Paul’s epistles and throughout the book of Acts we see the recurring theme of evangelization, as Paul does his part to carry out the Great Commission.

            In his letter to the Ephesians Paul writes, “. . . I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph 4:1). Our calling is to save souls from hell, to help them gain the gift of eternal life with God the Father in heaven. What higher call could there possibly be?  Is there any one among us who is worthy of sharing in the redemptive work of God? Looking through human eyes, we would have to answer, “No, not one.” But, as we are obedient to this call, Paul encourages us that, “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it” (Phil 1:6).

            How do we go about fulfilling Jesus’ call to “. . . be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8) and to spread his Good News? As Paul tells Timothy, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season . . .” (2 Tm 4:2). To this we might add, “Be prepared in church and out of church, in prayer meetings and out of prayer meetings.” We must be Christian witnesses 24/7, not just in safe, traditional times and places. As our first pope reminds us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pt3:15).

            Our life is a stronger, louder witness of who we are and Who we serve than any sermon we may ever preach. We send out particularly strong messages - for good or for bad - in the way we deal with the negative aspects of life, from major tragedies to small, everyday annoyances. Perhaps this is why St. Paul found it necessary to admonish the Philippians: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation . . . as you hold out the word of life” (Phil 2:14-16).

            Make no mistake; our actions must match our words. With all deference to St. Francis, whose life reflected the saying, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary,” words must certainly be spoken. As St. Paul wrote to the Romans: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Rom 10:14-15).

            Look down at your feet. Are they bringing good news?

© 2009 National Service Committee