Evangelization Series: Carrying Your Cross

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy."

- St. Francis of Assisi

(Written by Dean Kovac, a great man of God!)

I will never forget the talk Fr. Donald Calloway gave at the discernment weekend conference. It also helps to mention the giant Lord of the Rings sword he was wielding in his hand. “Every knight has their weapon; it’s the sword.” Then flipping the sword upside down he exclaimed, “Every priest has their weapon, it’s the cross. Jesus is on one side and you have to be on the other. It’s not about numbers or money baskets; it’s about the salvation of souls.  We have to speak the truth even if your congregation is willing to crucify you.”

You might ask yourself, what does this have to do with evangelization? Evangelization is about proclaiming the Gospel to souls, especially and unfortunately to those in our own pews. But before we can go proclaim the Gospel, we have to know it, we have to live it, and we have to love it. The new evangelization has to start within our own hearts and souls, to become true disciples and followers of Christ.

Jesus tells us, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Lk 9:23-24)

The cross is essentially the total gift of self.  The cross shows us how madly in love with us God is. As C.S. Lewis said, “The incarnation is likened to a man becoming a slug.”  But not only becoming a slug but dying for slugs so that they may share in “man’s nature.” No human person would do that.  But God, Creator of the stars and heavens, in His radical love for us was beaten, insulted, scourged, humiliated, tortured and crucified naked on a tree, died for us that we could share in His Divine Nature. My brothers and sisters, this is the perfect love of God. 

 We must embrace the cross, for it is through the cross and our participation in the cross that souls our saved.  Our mission is to go out to the world and make disciples (Mt 28:19).  It is our great commission by Christ.  It can be frightful, hard, and difficult.  But by growing in our faith, by growing in love with Jesus, all things are possible, because perfect love casts out all fear (1Jn 4:18).

So let us embrace the cross, and make sacrifices for sinners.  Our Lady of Fatima said, "Pray, pray a great deal and make many sacrifices, for many souls go to Hell because they have no one to make sacrifices and to pray for them." We proclaim the Gospel through the reflection of Christ’s love in our words, thoughts, and actions.  We must sacrifice for souls, not only just by prayer, but with fasting and other acts of penance. Through this, we will become instruments of spreading Christ’s love.  As Mother Teresa used to say, “I'm a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”

(Please pray for the people in Iraq, both the Christians being persecuted and for the people doing it, that they may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in complete and total love!)