Proclaiming Christ

Ave Maria! During this month of October, the Catholic Church has been praying each day in union with Pope Benedict XVI that we realize that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity (see Holy Father's prayer intentions for 2010 here). Our Lord Jesus Himself has commissioned us to proclaim His gospel (Mt 28:19; Mk 16:15), and the Church continues to affirm that "every disciple of Christ, as far in him lies, has the duty of spreading the Faith" (Ad Gentes).

How we fulfill Christ's missionary mandate differs for each one of us. This depends on various factors such as our vocation, our personality, our means, our gifts and abilities -- all of which God has perfectly arranged for us in His loving wisdom. He gives us what we need to do His work. The roll call of the saints throughout the ages reads like a litany of praise and thanksgiving to Him who uses us, even with our weakness and sinfulness, to make known the Father's love. We learn from these holy-yet-still-human women and men how to be effective evangelizers for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.

Our greatest model and teacher in proclaiming Christ is, of course, our Blessed Mother. Pope John Paul II called her "the first 'evangelist', who spreads the 'good news'" and said that in her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, Mary "becomes the model for those in the Church who set out to bring Christ's light and joy to the people of every time and place" (General Audience, October 2, 1996). The presence of Christ, whom Mary carried in her womb, caused the unborn child in Elizabeth's womb to leap for joy! What happened here is beautifully captured by Ruth Mary Fox in her poem "Carrying Christ":

Into the hillside country Mary went
Carrying Christ, and all along the road
The Christ she carried generously bestowed
His grace on those she met. She had not meant
To tell she carried Christ. She was content
To hide His love for her. But about her glowed
Such joy that into stony hearts love flowed,
And even to the unborn John Christ's grace was sent.

Christ in His Sacrament of love each day
Dwells in my soul a little space and then
I walk life's crowded highway, jostling men
Who seldom think of God. To these I pray
That I may carry Christ, for it may be
Some would not know of Him except through me.

O Christ, Light from Light and true God from true God, may Your joy so glow about me that others will come to know the grace and truth of Your Love. Amen.