Evangelization means living the Gospel and inviting others to open their own lives to the good news it brings. The idea that there is a special way to do this in a time of pandemic misses the fact that the Gospel is universal. It belongs to all peoples in all times and circumstances.
The real question is “How is it possible for me to live the Gospel in the circumstances where I find myself now?” Evangelization in our time, still suffering from the pandemic, can find its expression in a simple and profound way in every human situation.
The original story of the Focolare is a good model. A group of young women whose lives were disrupted by the bombings in Trent during World War II discovered God as love and chose him as their ideal in life. They read the text of the Gospel and put the words they read into practice in their everyday activities.
Seeing one another’s needs, they declared personally to each other that they were ready to die for one another. Realizing the needs of those around them, they reached out to all, especially the poor and those whose families could not care for them. They modeled a way of living that gave them joy, and invited others to join them.
As a priest, I have sometimes wondered whether to share my troubles or to keep them to myself. I share with other priests and friends, but the question is whether or not I should let those I serve in my parishes know about them.
Several years ago, I found out that I have Type 2 diabetes. I pondered whether or not to tell my parishioners. After prayer, I decided to reveal my illness to them as a point of information and as a request for prayer.
I began learning about the nature of my illness and how to manage it. Then I spoke with a dietician about it.
Immediately, after sharing it with my parishioners in one of the Sunday Masses, a young mother came up to speak with me in great distress. She had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, that is, diabetes during pregnancy. I told her what I had learned and put her in contact with the dietician, and she calmed down. Her tears changed from those of fear to relief, now knowing that she would be okay.
Recently, I learned that I was infected with the COVID virus. Early on a Sunday morning, the home test showed two bars, indicating that I was COVID positive. I realized that this was something I could share freely with my parishioners. Other priests filled in for me, and I submitted to the regimen of treatment and isolation.
As I returned following “COVID downtime,” I could now be numbered among those who had already experienced the disease. The love and care extended to me by others was an example of Gospel living. By accepting as God’s will that I go through this experience, I could also be an example to others of how to respond to something negative.
If we are experiencing COVID ourselves, indeed, we cannot “go out to all the world” freely in person to proclaim the Gospel. Nonetheless, social media allows our connection with people to continue. We can take time to enjoy what others share, and in our turn, like and share these with our own contacts. Laughter and beauty are present even during times of isolation.
The Church is a community of believers who share everything. Just as spouses hold all things in common and are committed to one another “in good times and in bad,” in the same way, brothers and sisters in faith can share all. Even a time of illness is a time open to learning and sharing the Gospel.
Many saints have found that times of ill health brought new insights and allowed them to make plans for a greater witness when good health returned. St. Thérèse, who never left her convent in Lisieux, is the Patroness of Missions. She saw her own illness as the presence of Jesus, her divine spouse. With a heart burning with love for Christ and zeal for souls, St. Thérèse prayed and sacrificed unceasingly for the missions.
Love lived out cannot be contained within the walls of our home. We are the body of Christ, the members all connected like communicating vessels, as Focolare founder Chiara Lubich once said.
In simple terms, evangelization in a time of pandemic looks very much like evangelization in every time. We live the Gospel concretely in whatever way the Spirit opens up for us in the present moment. We reach out to others who come our way, and share our joy, living in the hope of unity.
Fr. Timothy Hayes
(Living City, USA)
