Let Us Remind Man

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamaessa, who was appointed as Preacher to the Pontifical Household by Blessed John Paul II, gave an incredible homily on Good Friday, which gets to the heart of evangelization. He said:

In his "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," the Venerable Bede tells how the Christian faith made its entrance into the North of England. When the missionaries from Rome arrived in Northumberland, the local King summoned a Council of dignitaries to decide whether to allow them, or not, to spread the new message. Some of those present were in favor, others against. It was winter and outside there was a blizzard, but the room was lit and warm. At one point a bird came from a hole in the wall, fluttered a bit, frightened, in the hall, and then disappeared through a hole in the opposite wall.

Then one of those present rose and said: "Sire, our life in this world resembles that bird. We come we know not from where, for a while we enjoy the light and warmth of this world and then we disappear back into the darkness, without knowing where we are going. If these men are capable of revealing to us something of the mystery of our lives, we must listen to them". The Christian faith could return on our continent and in the secularized world for the same reason it made its entrance: as the only message, that is, which has a sure answer to the great questions of life and death.

If we just stop and take a look around us, we’ll notice that many of our fellow men suffer through the mysterious questions of origin and fate. Distorted ideas lead them down dangerous paths, sending them to false ideologies or to the sciences for answers.

As Blessed John Paul II reminded us, “we are an Easter people and ‘Alleluia’ is our song.”  In remembering Christ’s death and resurrection this past weekend, we encountered His abundant love. This love not only urges us, but it also empowers us to remind our fellow men of the freedom they have in Christ, due to the glorious things that He has done for us.

Let us soak up the overflowing joy of this Easter season, so that we can remind man of what he was really made for—eternal fellowship with God.