Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50)
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:37-38)
Consider the fish in Jesus' parable of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:47-50). They are of many different types, but they all have one thing in common: They will all be caught in the fishermen's net, and then sorted through to be branded good or bad. That sounds a lot like the way God works, doesn't it? He calls us, his fishermen, to fill his nets by bringing into the kingdom everyone we can — no questions asked, no judgments rendered. Then, at the final judgment, he will sort through them himself and decide who is worthy of his kingdom.
If we want to have the right attitude for evangelization, we need to take on Jesus' perspective. He loved everyone he spoke to, and his one desire was for them to come to his Father through repentance and faith. He was interested in their sin only because it kept them from God. He didn't come into the world to condemn people; he came to save them (John 3:17). Likewise, our evangelization should be focused on the promise of salvation, not on the sins people commit. While we should never downplay God's judgment, the most fruitful seeds we can plant are those of his mercy.
Many of the Catholic men we know are at various levels of spiritual growth. Some may be unbelievers. Some may be nominal, unchurched, or cultural Catholics (e.g., Christmas/Easter Catholics). Some may be fallen away Catholics. Some may be Catholics who believe going to Mass once a week is all it means to be Catholic. It is important to remember that looking inside a person's soul, no matter where they are spiritually, is not a job for amateurs! How many people who had been away from God for years, or who had never known him, were converted because someone risked stepping outside their comfortable circle of acquaintances to talk to him! Both the impressive and the wounded are longing for Christ, and Jesus longs for them even more.
The truth is, as we get past the hurdle of judging people, evangelization becomes a lot less scary — and even fun! Just think of the wide variety of "fish" in the world, each one of them a mystery to us, but each made in the image of God. We have no way of knowing which one of them will respond to our reaching out to them as a friend, to our witness of how Jesus has impacted our life, or to our inviting them to a spiritual event at our church. But we do know that only a few kind words, or a simple prayer, could introduce them to the astonishing love of Christ. Jesus tells us that "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:37). May we all respond with the love of Christ to this call!
"Holy Spirit, I am nothing without you. Fill me with your power and give me the Father's heart for those who need to know Jesus, and the courage to reach out to them with his love."
Many thanks to The Word Among Us for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Why is it important to keep in mine where a man may be spiritually in our evangelization efforts?
2. The article contains these words: "Likewise, our evangelization should be focused on the promise of salvation, not on the sins people commit. While we should never downplay God's judgment, the most fruitful seeds we can plant are those of his mercy." Do you agree with them? Why or why not?
3. Why do you think that reaching out to someone as a friend is often an important first step in evangelization?
4. For many Catholics, the thought of sharing our faith with someone, or evangelizing them, is quite scary. Begin praying for one or two men you know and then look for opportunities to reach out to them as a friend, tell them how Jesus has impacted your life, or invite them to a spiritual event at your church. What do you think will happen as a result? Try it, and if you are in a men's group, share any fruits of it at future meetings.
5. If you are in a men's group, end your meeting by praying to the Lord for one another that each of you would have the wisdom, strength, and courage to be "evangelizers." Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.
