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Did you know that you are a missionary - or, if you feel you are not so sure of this, that you are being called to be one?

Evangelizing - spreading the Gospel - is the "great commission" from Jesus Himself to His disciples, the people of God in mission. His command to each of us is to make other disciples: "Go...make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:10).

To be a disciple of Christ is to "come after" Him, to live through and for Him completely, and in turn to lead others to do the same.

The Gospel is good news for those who recognize their need for it. In fact, as we all know, Gospel means "good news." Quoting Isaiah, at the beginning of His Galilean ministry Jesus spells out some of this good news, which is especially heartwarming toward the poor, the enslaved, the blind and the oppressed (cf. Lk 4:16-21).

Anyone who is aware of being abused, beaten down, rejected or caught up in some vicious circle of sin or other addictive behavior can find something uplifting in the promise of being freed from it all - which raises a good question for the messenger: Am I good news or bad news?
Taking into consideration a quote often attributed to St Francis of Assisi (certainly made in the Franciscan spirit) to "preach always; use words if necessary," actions that proclaim the Gospel are often more convincing than words.

"The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission," wrote St. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, "Redemptoris Missio" ("The Mission of the Redeemer: On the Permanent Validity of the Church's Missionary Mandate"). It is primarily the Church's conduct, by a living fidelity to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that will evangelize the world.

The whole Church, we all know, is often judged by the conduct of its individual members. So it makes sense to ask if my personal life bears real witness to the Gospel I believe.

Where do I bear witness, personally, to the Gospel? For sure, active and engaged participation - not just passive attendance - at Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days is one obvious and essential way of testifying to the faith. The Church is never more itself than when celebrating the Holy Eucharist.

Within our homes, parochial schools and catechetical centers - and wherever we find ourselves in the marketplace - we tell also tell the story of Jesus by words and example. We may find ourselves, at times, beyond our spiritual comfort zone when moved to speak "The Name" by which we are saved, to tell others quite honestly that it is Jesus and none other who is my Savior.

The Gospel, strictly speaking, is Jesus Himself. He is God's Word. In that sense, we are not so much a "people of the Book" as a people of the living Word. Our prime relationship is with Him as the center of our life, the only King worthy of occupying the throne of our heart. If we give Jesus our permission to take that place - for true love and intimacy can never be forced - then He becomes the ruler, judge and standard of our lives.

What does that do to a person like you and me? Little by little, by giving ourselves over to the Lord, we become more holy like Him! And that's the point, isn't it?

Unless and until (and to the point that) I get to know and love Jesus personally - and let Him into my life to change it - how will I be able to bring Him to the world? But if I don't bring Him to the world, then who will, and how can I claim to be His disciple?

We have a fundamental rule of our faith here: To be a disciple means not only telling others about Jesus and His teachings. It means living them - or, rather, living in Him.

From our early years of religious instruction, most of us remember the so-called "Four Marks of the Church:" One, Holy, Catholic (or Universal) and Apostolic. All of this is summed up in our call to live the Word as disciples of Jesus.

How can the Church be really "holy" when we know it is filled with sinners like ourselves? Well, it is helpful to recall that the Church is, among other things, a hospital for sinners and not a hotel for saints. But the holiness of the Church is in its call to be holy as Jesus is holy and in the guarantee that all who truly seek to be holy - that is, conformed to Jesus Christ as His disciples - will receive all that is needed to become holy through the sacramental life of the Church.

Each of us can make that promise more real, more accessible to others by living the Word publicly and without fear: that is to say, living the Word with love.[[In-content Ad]]

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