11 Sep 2015
There’s a lot of talk nowadays in the Church about the “New
Evangelization.” And the idea of going
out into the world to spread the gospel message is certainly a part of it. The other, perhaps understated, aspect of the
New Evangelization is the idea of coming
in from the world to sit at the feet of the Master Teacher, Jesus.
Before we can “go out” and make disciples of others, we have
to be a disciple ourselves. Otherwise, we
really are “the blind trying to lead the blind.”
You know, when we think of St Paul, we see that he’s had such
an enduring effect on Christians because, first, he sat with the Lord—three years—and
he let the Lord teach him. The Lord was
for him all those things we hear about in the psalm. Jesus was his “refuge” and his “prize.” The Lord “counseled” him and was always at
his “right hand,” showing him “the path to life” and what’s at the root of true
“joy.”
St Paul was no “blind” leader. He knew Jesus intimately, and the Lord opened
his heart and mind and soul so he could see clearly—not
only for Paul’s own good, but for the good of others as well. That’s why St Paul was, and continues to be,
a person who inspires faith in others; he knew how to be quiet and learn from
the Lord. He was very much a wide-eyed
disciple of the Lord and his ways.
And we can give thanks to God for St Paul and for people like
him; who take the time to be a true disciple of Christ. Those
are the people who can lead us to God.
And those are the people who’ll help us move toward a clearer vision of
God and our faith. Thanks be to God for
that. After all, the last thing we want—especially
when it comes to faith, hope, and love—is for the blind to be leading the
blind.
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