Easter Week Two

"Evangelization" is a big word, and it seems to be even bigger nowadays. The Church in St. Louis has been changing for decades, and we are on the cusp on an even more dramatic change, with the release of the All Things New plan on Pentecost Sunday. But more than implementing the structural changes facing parishes and pastorates across the Archdiocese, this all-encompassing initiative calls us to do something even bigger: to evangelize.

So where do we start? How do we begin to engage in the work of evangelization? The answer is simple: we start the exact same way Jesus did. We walk with the people in our lives. We notice the ones who are downcast, and we simply journey with them. We listen, we seek to understand, and we keep walking with them — wherever they are on their journey.

You may not know the exact words to say. You might not be an expert in theology or catechesis. You might even find it difficult to defend the institution of the Church sometimes! But you can surely walk with the people you love. You can surely listen. And you can surely lift up the downcast with your presence — after all, this Easter season is all about the reality that Jesus is alive and that he lives in you! So this week, let’s share his presence by sharing our presence with others. Let’s go out and let’s walk with the people God has placed in our lives.

“Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, 'What are you discussing as you walk along?' They stopped, looking downcast.”

Luke 24:15–17