The
worst thing of all is religious proselytism.
Who
would say such a thing?
That's
a recent quote from Pope Francis
Clearly
he makes a distinction between proselytizing and evangelizing.
There
are similarities, but they're not the same thing.
When
we evangelize we present and demonstrate our beliefs.
We
share the joy of the Good News of God's love for us.
In
the hope that others will understand and take the opportunity to
share in that joy.
We
leave it to God and each of those others to determine their response.
Proselytizing,
has come to carry a more aggressive connotation.
It's
a hard-sell effort to convince the other to adopt our beliefs.
It
assumes that it's our job to win that other person over, to land that
conversion.
Even
if it means disrespecting and demeaning that person's beliefs.
Pope
Francis' quote was from a newspaper interview where he said:
We
can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in
communicating.
But
the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes:
[which
says:] 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,'
No.
Each person dialogues,
starting with his and her own identity.
The
church grows by attraction, not proselytizing.
Throughout
history we see horrific examples of proselytism
carried to extreme excess.
We'd
like to think we've moved past all that.
But
there are few examples more outrageous than that of ISIS in Iraq
today.
Using
violence and terrorism to force people to deny their true beliefs.
And
profess to adopt a new religion.
Driving
people from their homes, leaving them to die without food, shelter or
care.
Beheading
them, crucifying them.
Putting
their mutilated bodies on display to terrorize others.
In
response, we're asked to observe today as a national day of prayer
for peace in Iraq.
That
request comes from the Chaldean Patriarch of Iraq.
This
past Friday, Cardinal Wuerl said a Mass for Peace.
And
led an interfaith service for peace.
He
invited local leaders from all the faith communities to stand
together.
In
unity and solidarity and opposition to the violence in Iraq.
And
in all the other areas around the world where people are suffering.
From
war and persecution and terrorism.
(Fr
Avelino was there, as head of the Archdiocese Ecumenical and
Interfaith Office.)
Cardinal
Wuerl was joined by representatives from many other faith
communities.
Hindu,
Jewish, Protestant, Orthodox, Buddhist, Mormon, Baha'i and
Islamic.
And
all echoed the need for mutual respect, cooperation and brotherly
love.
They
all saw tolerance, mutual respect and unity as the only path to
peace.
And
now we come to today's Gospel passage.
A
world of us and them.
Jesus
himself seems caught up in division.
His
mission was to the lost sheep, the children of Israel.
He
had a lot to do and little time to do it.
He
had to concentrate first on feeding the children.
He
didn't have the time or the energy to deal with the dogs.
His
dog analogy seems like a harsh rejection of the Canaanite (Gentile)
woman's plea.
His
words weren't steeped in malice, but they were clearly a challenge.
Jesus,
who reads the heart, knew who he was dealing with.
And
indeed, she rose to the challenge.
She
came right back at him with a clever response.
Even
the dogs get the scraps.
She
may be the only person in the Bible to one-up Jesus with a spunky
comeback.
And,
because of her faith and courage and persistence, Jesus gave her what
she wanted.
She's
become a model of persistent prayer.
But
she was still treated as an exception.
Jesus
continued to focus on his chief priority, the children of Israel.
But
in due time, when his own mission was completed, he gave a new
mission.
Telling
his disciples to Go and teach all nations.
Baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Our
other Scripture readings today confirm that new, broader mission.
And
we recognize our Great Commission to spread the Good News.
If
others before us hadn't done that, few of us would ever have been
baptized.
If
we're ever tempted to belittle another's religion, we should think.
What
if Jesus had remained just the Messiah of the Jews?
Would
we have all recognized him and converted to Judaism?
With
my German ancestry, maybe I'd still be worshiping trees.
What
if we'd been born into a Buddhist or Hindu family?
Would
we have abandoned our ancestral religion and culture?
For
us, within our Catholic Church,
Under-zealous
evangelization may be a greater problem than overzealous proselytism.
We
may need an occasional reminder of our Great Commission.
And of
the second Great Commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
And
of our baptismal call to live as priest, prophet and king.
As priest, praying.
As prophet, spreading the word.
And
as king or queen, tending to the welfare of the people.
We
still need evangelization to the merely nominal members of our
own Church.
And
there are still many millions to reach who are un-churched or even
atheist.
The
magician/illusionist Penn Jillette, is the tall non-silent partner of
Penn & Teller.
He's
also an outspoken atheist.
And
he gives us an interesting perspective on evangelization.
He
says he has no respect for true believers who don't evangelize.
He
says, if you believe that something so important as everlasting life
is possible,
How
much do you have to hate somebody to not tell them
about it?
So,
let's commit ourselves to increased evangelization.
New
Evangelization, re-evangelization, to relate the Good News to today's
world.
Evangelization
though words, but even more through actions.
We
can start today by taking action to promote peace.
Our
Archdiocese website—adw.org—offers us some guidance and
assistance.
It
encourages us to pray today, pray daily, fast, stay informed, and
share the story.
And
it gives us links to help us stay informed and share the story.
Right
now, we can begin that easy very first step of praying today.
By
joining in this day of prayer for peace in Iraq.
For
our brothers and sisters facing torture and death at this very
moment.
Certainly
we and many others have prayed for peace many times.
But
we need the spunk and persistence of that Canaanite woman.
And
we also need to take our own worldly, positive actions to work for
peace.
The
Patriarch of Iraq didn't stop at asking us to pray for peace.
He
asks that we join in a specific prayer that he composed.
I'll
read it, and you can adopt it by joining in with your Amen.
Lord,
the plight of our country is deep
And
the suffering of Christians is severe and frightening.
Therefore,
we ask you Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience,
And
courage to continue our witness to Christian values with trust and
hope.
Lord,
peace is the foundation of life;
Grant
us the peace and stability that will enable us
To
live with each other without fear and anxiety,
and
with dignity and joy.
Glory
be to you forever.
Amen.
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time
