A time to evangelise: Jesus is bigger than Corona

On April 25 Catholics from East Anglia joined over 4000 others for the UEvangelize virtual summit to learn that the call to share the Gospel is not constrained by our current circumstances. In a series of three articles, Rebecca Bretherton reports on this event for us.

The UEvangelize speakers reassured us that our universal call to holiness has not been interrupted. The universal call to Christians to be missionaries continues. There are ways to use our situation to share our faith.

Peter Burak, Director of Id, a Canadian youth ministry initiative, led us through The Six Ps of Preparation for Proclamation:

After the Pause which the initial phases of the pandemic caused for many of us:

1) Prayer: Jesus Christ, not mission, should be the centre of our lives. Sometimes the busyness in our everyday life means we forget this. We need to reconnect to the Lord and rediscover our first love before we can share Him authentically with others. We can use this unusual time to refresh our love by intentionally re-establishing our relationship with the Lord. Our prayer doesn’t need to be complicated but without it we will not be able to be true missionaries.

 2) Perception: There are opportunities to bring people to Jesus even in lockdown. Look for those chances. We are with people seeking truth; they are searching for the Lord. In trips to the supermarket ask: Where is Jesus? What is He doing? Say to Him, “Jesus, I want to do it with you!”

 3) Pathos: We are being asked to enter into suffering with others. Lean into those who are suffering. They are not strangers. Our family, friends and neighbours need us now. Sit with them (virtually, as necessary). Listen and understand them.

 4) Perspective: We believe that death is not the end; that the Gospel message matters. Do we really believe that it matters if people know Jesus? If we do, then this pandemic will not stop us finding ways to share our Good News.

 5) We are Powerful only in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can ask for the Lord to fill us with His power as we encounter others. We can pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit!’

 And a final P: Proclaim! Jesus is Lord, He is Risen. He is not restricted by distance or conferencing technology. Come Holy Spirit!

 For more information and resources, join others at the website https://uevangelize.org

You can watch the virtual summit again on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNTXqEG0xg

Comments