Our
Particular Way
I’m telling on myself. Last week we had a visiting priest. He said when he was growing up; the priest in
his parish considered it a mortal sin to wear blue jeans to church. They were
work clothes not church clothes.
I had blue jeans on under my vestments. I said “When the Lord calls us he
takes us with all our particularities.”
Then this week, I found this wisdom in the Catechism. By our Baptism, we are incorporated into
Christ and are made to be sharers in our
particular way in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ.
Jesus told us, “You are to be my witnesses to
the ends of the earth.” We are called to witness our own particular way.
He calls us. He knows us. And we follow him as we are. Revelation describes
“a great multitude, which no one could count, from
every nation, race, people, and tongue.”
This multitude is us; but, it’s everyone. It is the poor, hungry, and homeless.
He loves the unloved, abused and neglected. His sacrifice was for victims of
war and the masses of refugees.
How do they hear his voice? How do they know the Gospel? It’s up us to “go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel.”
The apostles, the disciples, and those who followed Him would do as
Jesus asked. Paul and Barnabas continued on to Antioch
in Pisidia and almost the whole city gathered to
hear the word of the Lord.
Paul preached and people believed; but, things didn’t go well. Preaching
the Good News upset the world view of the leaders. They argued against Paul and
Barnabas. They stirred up a persecution against them. It
was a messy situation for those preachers.
Life is messy. It is from the messiness of our own particular way we are called to proclaim the
gospel.
It’s not going to be perfect. Preachers aren’t perfect. Preaching isn’t
perfect words. Preaching is being good and it’s being holy. It’s the way we
love others. Real preaching is done in the messy particulars of life.
We are called in our particular way, some to stand up to proclaim the
gospel in front of the people; but, all are called by the way they live. We are
to live and preach what we believe.
Share the good news in our particular way in this world. Live the gospel
and people will hear His voice through our lives.
Every believer will witnesses to someone. Hearts are opened by love, even
in the simplest way. Preachers have parents. Saints live in the world. Maybe your
witness will be to a future saint.
Amen. We are all
called to be preachers. We’re called to be an instrument of salvation; bringing His voice to
the poor, the hungry, and the homeless; witnessing His love to the abused and
the neglected; and speaking His peace to those who do not know peace.
Preach salvation and those who hear His voice will believe.
The world needs voices like St. John Paul II, Pope Francis, Blessed
Mother Theresa of Calcutta, and Mother Angelica. They were called; lambs who
heard His voice. Pray for those discerning vocation.
Pray we listen with joy to the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts. The
world needs voices like yours and mine.
The word of the Lord continues to spread.
This week two laypeople stood before an audience including Bishop Duca,
most of the priests, and many deacons from the Diocese. Two beautiful people
proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ to a room full of preachers. This is one
of the stories they shared.
A Bishop wished to have
dinner with a Catechumen’s family before the Easter celebration. The Bishop
arrived for dinner and was escorted to the dining room by the young son.
Hanging on the wall was a painting of the Last Supper.
The Bishop complimented
the painting. He tells the boy how the painting is a symbol of the family’s
faith that preaches the gospel and witnesses to all who come to their table.
The boy says, “So you
like the painting that’s going to make momma real happy. She brought it just
for you when she heard you were coming for dinner.”
Preach the Gospel in our particular way.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. May each of you be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in preaching
the good news of Jesus Christ in your own particular way.
Y’all be good, y’all
be holy. Preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.
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