The world today is continuing to make the same mistake that the world has been making for the past 200 years: too many of our cultural, political, and economic leaders are trying to build a stable, just, and prosperous global society without acknowledging our dependence on God. This is what is called secularism.
It is a perennial temptation for every individual and society, and many of the last century’s tragedies flowed from falling into it. The injustices of Soviet Communism, the destruction of two World Wars, the genocides and massacres flaring up on every continent. These resulted from human societies trying to build themselves up without building on the solid foundation of faith in and obedience to Christ and his teachings.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI spent much of his pontificate warning our century not to make the same mistake. He set before every Catholic the shining example of St. Paul, who courageously dedicated his entire life to spreading the gospel to all peoples, in spite of suffering, persecution, and rejection. Pope Benedict knew that if every Catholic decided to follow the example of St. Paul in their own lives, then the Church would once again fulfill its critical mission of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. That is what we are for; it is our primary mission in life, every single one of us. Our motto must be the same as the one St. Paul wrote in today’s Second Reading: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
When we were baptized, we became children of God through grace, members of his family. When we were confirmed, we became partners in God’s work of salvation, soldiers equipped to fight evil and spread the Kingdom of God.
This is our core identity, and so this should be our first priority. This work of building up Christ’s Kingdom is not just for priests, nuns, and full-time missionaries. Every Christian is a full-time missionary! This is why the list of canonized saints doesn’t just contain monks, nuns, bishops, and priests. It also contains kids and carpenters, moms and dads, lawyers and artists.
Most of us are familiar with the worldwide Catholic charity organization called The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Most of us probably think that this incredible organization was founded by St. Vincent de Paul, a tireless French priest who lived in the 1600s. However, that is not the case; it was merely named after St. Vincent de Paul. The St. Vincent de Paul Society was actually founded in the 1800s by a 20-year-old French college student and seven of his friends. His name was Frederick Ozanam, and he was beatified by St. John Paul II in 1997. Frederick was a talented young man who earned his doctorate in literature at the University of Paris, and went on to become a law professor and judge. He was a normal Christian, a Catholic like any one of us. But he was an authentic Catholic who lived his life-mission coherently. That authenticity, that coherence gave birth to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which today, more than 150 years after Frederick’s death, is still spreading the gospel through its more than 750,000 active members in 142 different countries; including our very own chapter in our parish. Blessed Frederick started the St. Vincent de Paul Society because he “wanted to insure my faith by works of charity.” As Christians, this is our primary mission in life: to know, love, and follow Christ, and help others to do the same.
There are two sides to our life as Christian missionaries: prayer and action. We all need to stay close to Christ through a healthy prayer life and through the sacraments. However, prayer is only half of our missionary responsibility. The other half is action.
We need to actively spread the gospel to those around us. We do this in three ways. First, by our example. This does not add anything to our normal to-do list, rather it affects how we accomplish everything we do. When we treat others with respect, kindness, and patience. When we fulfill our life-responsibilities attentively and lovingly. When our manner of life reflects the humility, elegance, simplicity, and joy of Jesus and Mary. Then we become living advertisements of how the gospel can give meaning and beauty to life.
Second, by our words. There are times when someone in our lives, maybe a family member or team member, a friend, a colleague, or even a stranger, needs to hear about Jesus Christ and his message of salvation. We should always be ready to meet that need; not by pounding people over the head with the Bible, but by sharing with them the knowledge that God has given us through our personal encounter with Christ, knowing that it will help them more than anything else.
Third, by our deeds. This means developing and using our God-given talents to benefit our neighbors, choosing careers and jobs that are positive, dedicating time to teach and serve those in need, and even, if God calls us, putting all our eggs in Christ’s basket through a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life.
As Jesus renews his unconditional commitment to us in this Mass, let us ask him to give us courage in living out our commitment to him, turning our example, words, and deeds into clear messages of his truth and love.