The Glory of This Mystery

A Reflection on the Second Reading for July 21st, 2019:
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Colossians 1:24-28

Brothers and sisters: I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church.

I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is Christ whom we proclaim, warning every person and teaching every person in all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ.

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Mother Teresa once said: “God doesn’t require us to succeed, He only requires that you try.” 

Although evangelization can be a difficult task, it is extremely rewarding. By doing this, we fulfill our purpose that God has placed on us. He only wants for us to try, with no pressuring expectation of “success”. 

The act of evangelizing has not always been the easiest thing for me. Thankfully I can say that through witnessing others evangelize, I have been inspired to do the same. People like my mother and brother are extremely gifted in this area of faith. I often find my younger brother talking to others on his gaming system about his faith or about an experience he just had. It absolutely blows me away how open he is to talk to others this way at this stage in his life. When I was his age, I wasn’t as open. Although I would not shy away from my beliefs, I would often be riddled with “umm”s and “uhh”s when I would try to answer a question that one of my friends had about Catholicism and my experience as a Catholic. I found it hard to get past the idea of having to have the perfect answer, rather than just sharing those real experiences from my heart and relying on God to show up in those moments.

However, the most impactful experience of evangelization that I have witnessed has been through my Dad. When my parents got married over 20 years ago, they did not have the same religious outlook. My Mom often prayed for my Dad to come to faith and would encourage him to join us for mass on Sundays. However, my Dad and I would often be sitting together at church, counting down the minutes until mass would be over so we could go for brunch. It seemed as though he and I were there, but we were not truly present. 

"I found it hard to get past the idea of having to have the perfect answer, rather than just sharing those real experiences from my heart and relying on God to show up in those moments."

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But, shortly after my family started attending Saint Benedict Parish, my Dad’s attitude about church seemed to change. My Mom had felt it was important that he attend Alpha, and he reluctantly attended for a while, but then ended up actually having an encounter with God for the first time. Through her patience and care in trying to bring my Dad to experience Jesus, he was finally on a faith journey. He became a Christian. Although she may have felt like she wasn’t “successful” in her efforts at times, she ultimately relied on the Holy Spirit for His guidance. 

I am so thankful for this experience, but not just for my Dad and his new relationship with Jesus. My Mom’s efforts at evangelizing him really impacted my faith as well. I believe that evangelization has a sort of domino effect. Seeing my Dad come to faith and know the love of God made me want to pursue that relationship with Jesus even more. I saw a transformation in him that made me want to be closer to the Lord. Even though I had always thought he was a great Dad, I saw him become more loving, trusting, and open, which was such a great inspiration to me. Through witnessing the evangelization of others, I am motivated to try to do the same. I pray that I may have the courage to step outside of my insecurities and fears, and to proclaim the Gospel as Jesus intended for me to do. Amen. 

Megan Noye

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