Newspaper Page Text
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Thursday, November 9, 2000
Faith Alive!!
The Southern Cross, Page 9
Proclaiming the Gospel, sometimes even with words
By Daniel S. Mulhall
Catholic News Service
s
'ports figures, I’ve noticed, often
use religious gestures: the sign of the
cross before batting; pointing to the
heavens after making a goal; giving
God credit for vic
tory. But some sto
ries go deeper.
Recently The
Sporting News fea
tured an interview
with Chicago White
Sox manager Jerry
Manuel, who spoke
about how someone
drew him in an un
predictable way to Christianity.
A group of players were trying to
make the major league team. These
were athletes whose lives revolved
around achieving the pinnacle of pro
fessional success.
As they individually were called
and sent back to the minors, gloom
filled the room. Except for one man
who smiled with delight and said that
now he was free to spend more time
growing closer to Jesus.
Manuel said that this man’s state
ment helped him to realize that there
is more to life than baseball. He de
cided then to find out more about
Jesus.
As Catholics we are called to take
the message of Jesus to everyone, ev
erywhere. But why is it that some
people don’t easily grasp what we
mean?
Sometimes the message runs
counter to people’s immediate inter
ests or desires. But sometimes, per
haps, we don’t speak or act as if we
actually believe it ourselves.
St. Francis of Assisi is famous for
many things: renouncing wealth,
kissing the leper, creating the Na
tivity creche. He also gave advice on
proclaiming the Gospel: Do it non
stop, using words when needed.
That reflects the old American ad
age: Actions speak louder than
words.
During the year-2000 World
Youth Day celebrations, when 2 mil
lion pilgrims filled the ancient, nar
row streets of Rome, a solitary
young woman of 17 approached me
and asked if I spoke English. Hear
ing “yes” in my southern drawl, she
smiled with megawatt brilliance.
A pilgrim from Australia, she was
lost.
Not finding her street on my map,
I led her to a nearby hotel that was
housing a large group from the
United States and whose desk clerk I
knew spoke English
well.
The clerk knew ex
actly where the young
woman’s hotel was
and suggested that
she take a cab. This
sent the smiling lass
1 am called to go the extra mile
to help others before someone
else forces, pesters or embar
rasses me into it.”
CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec
into a tailspin, the
floodgates about to
open — for she didn’t
have the money.
When the desk clerk
suggested that she
take public transpor
tation (free during World Youth Day
week), she was frightened even more,
since that was how she had become
lost in the first place.
FAITH IN THE MARKETPLACE
We had reached an impasse: The
clerk had spent too much time on a
nonguest, the girl was near panic and
I was reaching into my pocket for the
money to send her by cab. Then some
thing happened: The clerk’s eyes soft
ened.
The clerk asked, “Would you like
for me to write directions for you and
ones in Italian you could give the bus
drivers so they can tell you when to
get off?”
The megawatt smile returned:
‘Yes, please.”
Jesus told stories about the judge
who gave in to the widow because of
her persistence; the desk clerk
helped the young woman because of
ours.
As I reflected on the event, I came
to another conclusion: I am called to
go the extra mile to help others before
someone else forces, pesters or embar
rasses me into it. I should do it be
cause that’s who I am (a follower of
Christ), not because I hope for any
reward or gain.
It is a question of proclaiming the
Gospel, using words when needed.
(Mulhall is assistant secretary for
catechesis and inculturation in the
U.S. Catholic Conference Depart
ment of Education.)
What do people of your world fear or doubt most? Can your faith address this fear or doubt?
“I’m a teacher and parent, and my fear is the violence that can corrupt the minds of our kids. My fear is that our
children can get sucked up into the negativity which surrounds them.... With faith in God, I can teach children to the
best of my ability. But I also know that there can be outside forces beyond my control that can enter their lives. In
the end, it all comes down to trusting in God.” — Sue Bata, Langdon, N.D.
“People fear the instability of their jobs, the constant threat of violence, terminal illness and death. They doubt
God’s unconditional love and the honesty and integrity of others, especially political figures.... Jesus constantly
exhorts us to trust, and he promises us a peace that the world cannot give. Models of faith give us courage and an
example of how to live in perfect peace and love.” — Sister Patricia Cigrand, ASCJ, Johnston, R.I.
AX An upcoming edition asks: What does the word “strength” mean to you? What makes strength a virtue? If you would like to
oWV—) respond for possible publication, please write: Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017-1100.
Pizza parlors and spiritual hungers
By Father Herbert Weber
Catholic News Service
X
watched in fascination as a man
set up his easel and flip charts on the
sidewalk in front of Chicago’s famed
Water Tower on Michigan Avenue. It
was nearly lunch time, and hundreds
of pedestrians were passing by.
When the man turned on his portable
microphone and began to preach about
salvation, a few folks stopped and lis
tened. When he drew diagrams of sin,
loss of grace, forgiveness and justification,
more people gave him their attention.
This modern street preacher had
lna Nutshell
The places people gather may he secular, but those gathering
there still experience a spiritual hunger.
A modern public forum may differ from the public squares of
St. PauTs time. Modern mission “lands” range from hospitals
to cyberspace, from health centers to schools to sports arenas.
To the extent we have appropriated the Gospel in our lives,
we will be able to share it with others by word and/or
example.
courage and a simple message: Believe
and be saved — or else!
The public forum is often different
today from what it was in the days of
St. Paul. Street preaching is not the
only way to share the Gospel message.
There are many other ways in which
words of faith and values can enter the
secular world.
When I was involved in campus
ministry at an Ohio state university, I
witnessed particular times when people
hungered for a faith response to some
world event. A week before the bombing
began in the Persian Gulf War, I was
part of a panel that addressed a jam-
packed auditorium on the campus. I’d
been asked to explain the just-war
theory and how it might apply to the
impending war.
It was a secular setting with a mixed
crowd looking for ethical guidelines. My
role as one who could bring a faith mes
sage was obvious. Yet not everyone was
happy with my words because they chal
lenged listeners to think in new ways.
More often, ministering in the public
forum took place with small groups of
students. For example, it was not un
common that I would join a group of
young men and women attending a
current movie, especially a thought-
provoking one. Afterward we would
gather at a pizza place to review and
critique the film.
Knowing that I was not a cinema
expert, the students looked to me, in
stead, to help evaluate the values and
principles presented in the movie. For
many, it was a time of spiritual insight.
Other times, as a campus minister I
was able to bring faith into the resi
dence halls, for example, by speaking to
those on the floor when a fellow student
died.
There also were the times I guest
lectured for various professors on the
church’s approach to AIDS and its vic
tims. And, of course, faith was brought
to the football team when I served as
chaplain!
The places where people gather may
be secular, but those who gather in
them still have a spiritual hunger.
Often the message of faith is heard
clearly in those settings because only it
can satisfy that hunger.
(Father Weber is pastor of St.
Peter’s Parish in Mansfield, Ohio.)
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