Sam (03/04/2025)

As I have mentioned in the past, my three children were born in a 2.5-year time period. One of the blessings of this was that they shared interest because of their common age but that was also the source of challenges. When our youngest, our son, realized his sisters had dolls, he wanted a doll, too. I must admit, I hadn’t thought of that. So, in the interest of peace, I found a pattern for a clown doll/pillow. I bought it, sewed it together, stuffed it, and presented it to him. And Sam became part of our family for the next five years.

We want what we see others have. I’ve come to realize that wanting what others have is human nature and it develops early on in our formation. How would our world be different today if our prized possession was our joyful spiritual life and journey in our LORD and others wanted what we had? Truth is, that has been going on for centuries, even millenniums. But will we be able to keep it going? Will our generation keep the evangelization of the world going?

I recall reading Acts of the Apostles for the first time and recognizing the attraction of the early Christians in a world marked by struggle between classes, ethnicities, religions. Their loving goodness, their joy even in the face of persecution, caught the attention of others. Others wanted that. They wanted that joy the Christians had. And so, they came, they listened, they believed, they sought to belong, and they themselves became Christians. Sounds simple doesn’t it.

According to years and years of study on evangelization and how it works in our world, the theologians have created a “trajectory of evangelization.” The first step is noticing something the Christian has that is desirous – Love & Joy & Peace. The second step is a willingness to listen – a display of openness. The third is coming to trust the other, the Christian.

Is our joy and our peace something others notice? Is our loving kindness as Christians something others notice? Are our lives and our love of the LORD and one another attracting others to Christ? If not, why? Is that something we need to take to prayer? Is our “salt” losing its flavor? Is our “light” growing dim? Why?

Let us pray that this Lent, our love, our peace, and our joy are amplified along the way. Let us pray that we will become clearer signs of Christ’s love as His disciples. Let us pray that others will see the difference Christ makes in our lives and seek the same love, peace and joy.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.