2025 2-2 – homily series winter – OT WK4 Sun Yr C – all masses – Heb 2 14-18 _ Lk 2 22-40 _
Why evangelize
Focus: why evangelize / share God’s love
Good afternoon/morning.
Welcome to week 2 of our Homily Series on The Greatest Story Ever Told. We are glad you’re here.
SLIDE:
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Week 2 — Why Share It?
Last week Fr. Alex explained what that greatest story is — that God created us, loves us and — through Jesus’ remarkable life, death, and resurrection — we are shown the way to eternal life.
He also said we are invited to share it… in other words, evangelize. Evangelization is the Greek word for Gospel, which means Good News. Evangelization is simply telling one friend about another friend.
SLIDE:
Evangelization = Gospel = Good News
This week we will talk about why share the good news … why bother evangelizing.
Before we do, it is important that we recognize that St. Thomas has evangelized in many ways over the past 40 years, especially through peace and justice outreach. We are invited now to build on that momentum and to develop new ways of evangelizing.
Scripture tells us the good news of Jesus Christ. His life and his message for us. So what is the good news?
In the second reading, St. Paul is inspired by God to tell the Hebrews — and all of us today — that God has conquered the devil and, with that, frees all of us from the fear of death. This is Good News.
And then we have the Gospel, wherein Jesus is presented to the world. Simeon speaks about the child Jesus, saying he has come for “all the peoples.” This means God is not among them just for Israel, but for the Gentiles too. In other words, God’s Love is not exclusive; it is available to everyone. This certainly is Good News.
Encountering God and His Love
SLIDE:
Many ways to Encounter God and His Love
There are infinite ways of experiencing God and, once we do, we cannot help but respond. This relationship is a lot like any other relationship
to grow stronger we need to:
– spend time together
– communicate
– listen
– trust
– take action, and
– often we need to sacrifice – point to cross
This is what you do when you love someone…. And, when you love someone, you want to introduce them to others in your life. This is where evangelization comes in…
Evangelization is sometimes a scary word for Catholics, but remember it means “good news.” People might think of evangelization as proselytizing, trying to push one’s views on another in an effort to convert them. But the way we use the term is with no agenda other than to share God’s Love with others.
That is the Good News —
– that God loves us and
– God’s Love is at work in our lives.
Once we welcome that Love / and live from its center / we become disciples of Christ.
And evangelization is as much for us as it is for the other person, because when we share the Good News of God’s Love we grow closer to God and to each other. Besides, you don’t really know something until you can teach it to someone else!
Plus, it is what Jesus asked us to do before he went to heaven. It’s called the great commission:
SLIDE:
Matthew 28:19-20
Go and make disciples of all nations…
(Fr Peter read slide)
Evangelization is why the church exists. We are not called to keep the good news of Jesus for ourselves.
Just as Jesus asks us to share the good news, so too does the Church, both globally and locally.
The last three Popes have named it a priority. In fact, our own Bishop Hicks has indicated that for the remainder of his episcopacy evangelization is his top priority. Add to that, recently our parish council, staff, and commissions have made evangelization one of our 4 goals for the next 5 years.
So I am asking you as a member of this faith community to share the good news — the Greatest Story Ever Told — in a word the story of Love. People need to know that there is:
– a God who Loves them,
– knows them intimately,
– and that their lives have meaning and purpose.
Our world needs this now more than ever.
Personal Story
Although I did not realize it until later, God had been reaching out to me since I was very young. Unfortunately I was more attracted to what the world seemingly had to offer.
But God will always pursue us with Love, and often that takes the form of someone sharing their experience of God’s Love with another, which is what my cousin did for me. As many of you know, this was a pivotal point in my life. In 1989 I was at the bottom of the barrel, separated from my wife and heading toward divorce, when my cousin Barth took the time to reach out and share God’s Love with me. You see, I did not realize that I was precious in the sight of God and that God had a plan for me. Yet once I could receive that love I found the strength to love my wife Michelle better. God saved my marriage.
Barth’s act of evangelization changed the course of my life.
And it wasn’t a one and done situation, rather this initial awakening led me to other mentors and groups wherein my faith grew and flourished… but it started with one encounter… and I assure you, without that encounter, I would not be before you now…
And my journey continues each day as I’m invited closer still to God, just as we all are.
This wouldn’t be a good homily without some homework.
SLIDE:
Homework:
– Open up a conversation about faith
Open up a conversation about faith with someone.
You can go about this one of two ways. If you feel strong in your faith, you can share a time when you encountered the love of God… perhaps a time when you felt peace, comfort, joy.
OR, if you’re not sure you have encountered God’s love or how to articulate it just yet, that’s okay… your homework instead will be to ask a person of faith that you know to share with you an experience of when they felt God’s love.
Friends, evangelization is a reaching outward. Our US Bishops say “The fruits of evangelization are changed lives and a changed world—holiness and justice, spirituality and peace.”
So, why do we evangelize? Because we are to be God’s hands and feet and voice, to deliver the invitation of Love that God has sent us.
God bless you all as you share the love!
This message was prepared by Fr. Peter Infanger and Tammy Winn Bocher
