Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 22, 2004)

Suggested Emphasis

"Go out to all the world and tell the good news."

Salesian Perspective

Pope Paul VI defined evangelization as "bringing the Good News into all strata of humanity and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new."

In their book entitled Creating the Evangelizing Parish, Paulist Fathers Frank DeSiano and Kenneth Boyack challenge us to accept this simple truth: each of us is called to be an evangelist, to "go out to all the world and tell the good news," to give witness to the power and promise of God's redeeming love in our lives. (Paulist Press, 1993)

While the good news is essentially the same, the authors insist that the manner and method in which each of us evangelizes must be rooted in the state and stage of life in which we find ourselves. For a deeper understanding of what this means, they turn to our old friend and companion St. Francis de Sales: "St. Francis de Sales wrote a marvelous book entitled The Introduction to the Devout Life. In it he makes the simple yet profound point that a follower (a disciple) of Jesus should look at his or her situation in life and then live a Christian life accordingly. A wife and mother will find holiness in the way she lives, in relation to her husband, and in taking care of the family. She could hardly leave her family many times each day, like monks or nuns, to attend Liturgy of the Hours...Her spirituality, her way of following Christ is determined by her vocation and lifestyle...and if she works, living out her vocation as a married woman bearing witness to Christ in the workplace."

We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are redeemed by the life, love, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are inspired and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. This is indeed Good News! This good news should make a difference in our lives and in the lives of those with whom we love, live, work pray and play. This Good News should transform and renew us. Through us, this Good News offers the possibility of transformation and renewal to others.

How we share this good news -- how we evangelize -- depends on who we are, where we are and how we are. It must match the state, stage, circumstances, responsibilities, routines and relationships in which we find ourselves each day. Following Jesus is not about forsaking our ordinary lives: no, it is about making real the life and love of God in our thoughts, feelings attitudes and actions.

Evangelization has a lot to do with what we say: after all, it is about "telling" something, in this case, the Good News of God. However, it also has a lot to do (perhaps even more) with what we do: what we say is a convincing sign of God's love only insofar as it is congruent with how we relate to one another.

By all means - by any means - "go out to all the world and tell the Good News" of God's love, God's forgiveness, God's Justice and God's peace. But most especially, do it in the places - with the people - where you live, work, pray and play each day.

Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center at Childs, MD