Each day, I reflect upon a word or a phrase from the readings of the day. I encourage you to do the same and perhaps incorporate that word or phrase into your daily prayer.
Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm
against the tactics of the Devil. (Ephesians 6:10)
THE ARMOR: Reading today’s passage from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians reminded me of a conference I once attended on the topic of evangelization. I made note of three take-away strategies from the conference:
- Pope Francis kept it simple and direct. If we expect to have any luck evangelizing, he told us “we must heal wounds and warm hearts.” We must meet people where they are and acknowledge what it is they are feeling. It must be done with love and without judgment. In so doing, we are living the faith.
- It is not enough to simply be witnesses to our faith. We must be compelling witnesses. The passion with we live our faith, and the joy we exude because of it, will draw people in and have them envisioning what their lives could be like with God included.
- We need to walk through doors of opportunity. We must take advantage of every opportunity to share our faith – in word and deed.
The word “evangelize” may conjure up images of TV evangelists and fire-and-brimstone speeches. If that was what I thought we were called to do, I would be hesitant, too.
Evangelization means spreading the Gospel message. It means taking the opportunity to share the loving presence of God with others. In so doing, we help provide the armor needed to face the challenges of a highly secularized world.
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