Evangelize With Love - Not Division

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

From the Acts of the Apostles.

<< In those days, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and take the southern road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza and that it is little traveled."
Philip set out on his way and it happened that an Ethiopian, high official of Candasses, Queen of Ethiopia and administrator of her treasures, who had come from Jerusalem to worship God, was returning in his car reading the Prophet Isaiah.
Then the Spirit said to Philip, “come closer and walk next to that car.”
Philip ran and when he heard that the man was reading the prophet Isaiah, he he asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"
He replied, "How am I going to understand it if no one explains it?"
Then he invited Felipe to come up and to sit next to him.
The passage of scripture he was reading was this....
'Like a sheep he was led to death, like a lamb that leaves in front of the one who shaves it. So he didn't open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was not done to him.
Who will be able to speak about his offspring since his life has been uprooted from the earth?'
The Ethiopian asked Philip, “Tell me, please, about whom does the prophet say this? For himself or for another?”
Philip began to speak to him and starting from that passage he announced to him the gospel of Jesus.
They went on, when they came to a place where there was water and and the Ethiopian said to him, "Look, there is water here.
Is there anything to prevent my being baptized?
Philip answered him, "Never, if you believe with all your heart."
Replied the Ethiopian, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
He stopped the car, they both went down to the water and Philip baptized him.
When they came out of the water, the spirit of the Lord took Philip away. The Ethiopian didn't see him anymore and continued his journey full of joy.
As for Philip, he found himself in the city of Asoto and evangelized the villages that he came across until he arrived in Caesarea. >>

- The Word of God.

Of the Holy Gospel according to St. John.
<< Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world." >>

The Word of The Lord

"My people perish for lack of knowledge…”

Did you catch that?

We face more ignorance than we realize—sometimes willful, sometimes not. Many people sincerely try to do God’s will, but without proper teaching, they don’t truly understand it. They go off on their own way... then they self-interpret and condemn those who dont see it their way.
And no—this doesn’t simply mean “being a good person.” The truth is, many aren't that, despite what they tell themselves and everyone else...

We see this lack of understanding clearly in the first reading. The Ethiopian desires to know God. He reads Scripture, but lacks the background and understanding to interpret it. He doesn't imagine he knows God just because he can read from a book. Can you claim to be as wise as he?

Because he is humble, he admits that he may not have it all figured out. He asks, “Who is the prophet talking about?” And, with humility, admits, “How can I understand unless someone (with authroity) explains it to me?”

There it is: “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”
We could also say people in general are in the same boat...and I don't just mean non-Christians.

In evangelization, we must remember—most people don’t do wrong because they want to. Often, they were never taught correctly. Sometimes, they don't want to be taught rightly.
That calls for patience.

It’s easy to get frustrated in this mission of teaching.
We're in church and someone’s phone rings.
Or a child cries and wont stop.
There are those who always seem to be late.
Maybe someone doesn’t follow the “right” way at service.
But, what if they’re new?
What if they’ve never been taught to understand?
Instead of helping them draw closer, we risk pushing them away.

There will always be someone who doesn’t know, or maybe,  who claims to know but sees it their way, anyway. As my training supervisor used to say, “They don’t know what they don’t know — our job is to help change that.”

So we must teach patiently, and with joy – even it we must repeat it. Yes, especially when you have to repeat it. Did you ever study a foreign language? You do a lot of repeating, right?
In matters of evenagelization, we repeat, as often as necessary. And we should be glad to do it, because...

1. They are here.

2. We have another chance to share the right teaching.

Like Philip, we are called to be guided by the Holy Spirit. He places people and situations - opportunities - before us, and they become our mission. When you feel like you’re repeating yourself, remember: this is not repetition, it’s your assignment. People often take many attemptss before they get it. Be joyful that you have this opportunity.

Stay faithful. Don’t measure success by worldly standards. Be patient, and don’t grow weary. People perish for lack of knowledge — and we are called to bring that light to them.

Another thing I would add along this line is this: try to stay informed.
There is a lot of ignorance in the world today. Many people speak on social media, but not everything being said is helpful, just becasue they are saying it, And not everyone speaking is truly trying to help or teach, no matter what they claim.

This may be controversial, but we should not use social media to divide The Church with our own “teachings.” Our task is to proclaim and to instruct rightly — not based on our personal interpretations or opinions, and certainly not in ways that divide the Christian community.

If you come across messages that stir division or separation, do not embrace them and do not spread them.

We are called to unite and evangelize — not to argue, criticize, or elevate ourselves and our opinions.
We are called to proclaim hope, love, and the unity of the Church.

Be especially discerning about the intentions of others. Is what they are saying buildig up, or tearing down?
Is it fostering unity, or division.
Is it "My way ... or you're wrong"?
And before sharing anything, yourself, ask: "Is this informing and building unity, or does it lead to division?"
If you find that they, or you, lead to arguments more than enlightenment — “I’m right, you’re wrong” — move on.

Proclaim the Word with simplicity.
Rely on the teaching authority of The Church, not on personal interpretations, or group-made ideas.
Listen to learn, grow in peace, and help others grow — not to divide them.
Serve with love and patience, in the name of God.
Live this out in your family, your work, and yes — even on social media.
It is a real opportunity to follow The Apostle Philip: to evangelize with hope, love, and truth.

May the Lord grant us His Spirit, and the grace to serve and to build in His name.

✠

+ Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, now and forever, forever and ever.  Amen.

+ The Lord be with you and God's blessing, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may He descend upon you and accompany you always.  Hallelujah. Hallelujah.