Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Prayerfully reflect on the Scripture passages at the beginning of this article. How have they helped you to better understand the call to evangelization?
2. The Apostle John is often referred to as “John the Evangelist.” Why do you think he is called that?
3. What is your understanding of the quote in the article from Pope Paul VI?
4. How would you describe the relationship between conversion and transformation, and the call to evangelization?
5. What impact did the article have on your understanding of your own personal call to evangelization? How do you think God wants you to respond? If you are in a men’s group, how can you respond to this call as a “band of brothers.”
6. If you are in a men’s group, at the end of your meeting pray for one another (use the prayer at the end of the article) that each of you would say yes to God’s call to share Christ’s love and mercy with others. Also, ask the Lord to reveal a specific mission of evangelization he may have for you and the men in your group.
7. In the upcoming weeks, be alert to any doors the Lord may open for you to talk to members of your family or others about the gift of salvation you have received in Jesus Christ. Share the fruits of these at your next men’s meeting.
[Editor's Note: This is the fourth of a series of articles on the theme, “Growing in Faith and Spiritual Maturity as Catholic Men.” Click here to find the first article, second article, and third article.].
This is a continuation of articles on three stages of growth in our Christian life as Catholic men, i.e.:
1. Conversion
2. Transformation
3. Mobilization for Mission (especially Evangelization)
The previous Catholic Man Channel articles have covered each of the three stages of growth. This article will cover an important element of the third stage, our mission or call to evangelization. Of course, all of these stages are interrelated. For example, conversion and transformation leads to a desire for mission and a desire to evangelize, that is, a desire to tell others about Jesus and his saving work through our words and service, and the life we live. This article will describe this call to evangelization. The next article will describe some ways to put this call into practice.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. (John 3:34-36)
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 5:42)
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:15-16)
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)
Near the end of his Gospel, John tells us why he decided to write what he did: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life” (John 20:31). John understood that Jesus had come to give the word of God to a needy people. He also knew that Jesus came not only to forgive sins but also to give us a new life in his Spirit. How did he know this? He had experienced it in his own life through his conversion and his ongoing transformation into the image and likeness of Christ. And so, wanting to proclaim these truths, the apostle took up his pen and wrote.
Whenever we read the Gospel of John, we can get a glimpse into an evangelist’s heart and pick up some clues on how we too can fulfill the call to proclaim the gospel. And the one clue is that he has given us his Spirit and, thus, we should not be afraid to speak the truth directly.
The gospel is good news, and, like all other good news, it’s something we should be eager to talk about. Having received the merciful love of Jesus in our own conversion and transformation, we should not be surprised to find ourselves moved to share with others what we have received — love, mercy, and compassion. In his exhortation, On Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI wrote, “the Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom, and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed” (22).
Jesus wants to take a place of primacy in our minds and hearts. He wants to fill our thoughts to the point that we can’t help but talk about him to the people we meet. He wants us to “always be prepared to give an answer… for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and his gift of new life (Colossians 3:1) so that we can fearlessly proclaim the promise of salvation in Christ.
“Jesus, give me a heart like yours that longs for all God’s children to return to your Father. Lead me to people who are seeking and searching for the life that only you can give. And I ask for the grace and courage to answer your call to tell them of your great love and mercy.”
(Maurice Blumberg is Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men. This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel. Contact NFCM at P.O. Box 86381, Gaithersburg, MD 20886 or e-mail them at info@nfcmusa.org. Many thanks to The Word Among Us for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their devotional magazine. If you would like to make a contribution to the NFCM, just click here.)
Reflection Questions on Page 2
