When I had my fitness business, it was important to practice what I was teaching and to share the personal impact it had on me. Giving my witness about how this way of exercising was transforming my physical life often made other people more open and willing to try it.
Advent and the Christmas season are special times when we as Christians are called to witness to our faith by how we prepare our hearts, our families and our homes to welcome Jesus anew into our lives.
I’m not a formal religion teacher, but when I’ve had the privilege of speaking about my faith, it’s in the form of witness to how God is working in my life and in the lives of others. Real-life stories, with the honest ups and downs of the journey, can make a powerful point about God’s personal and intimate love for us.
It is my hope that by witnessing to the realities of our faith, Jesus becomes even more relatable and His love more palpable.
Pope St. Paul VI said, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”
As Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, I can only imagine the thoughts going through the minds of the Apostles before the Holy Spirit came upon them: Where is He going? Why is He leaving us? How will we do this without Him? What will we say and do to carry on His mission?
Then the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, and the spark of love became a flame of love that continues to burn brightly in you and me.
From Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We are beloved children of God who are called to share our love of God with others, to evangelize. As baptized Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, we are called to boldly witness to the saving love of God by what we say and how we live. This can sometimes feel daunting – and something we’d prefer to leave to our clergy and lay leaders trained in theology.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Sacramentum Caritatis, “The aim of all Christian education, moreover, is to train the believer in an adult faith that can make him a ‘new creation,’ capable of bearing witness in his surroundings to the Christian hope that inspires him.”
At Hilliard St. Brendan Church, we have a monthly parishioner witness talk given during a time of parish Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the availability of prayer teams. The parishioner witness is about 15 minutes, and this time of personal sharing has been truly remarkable.
We all have a story to tell about how God is working in our lives. When someone sitting in the pew stands up to courageously speak about their intimate journey with Jesus in such a public way it is hard describe the profound impact it has had on me personally and on others in our parish.
Personal witness has helped me to appreciate the interconnectedness of the Body of Christ and our great need for one another. Personal witness lifts us up with hope, joy, peace, awe and wonder as we look with new eyes at the unfathomable love of God operating in each of us.
St. Paul the Apostle reminds us of our interconnectedness with those who have gone before us. From Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.”
Let us pray for boldness to witness to God’s love and presence out of love for others. We are a new creation, so Holy Spirit, come and give us the courage to speak with confidence about our faith and the transforming love of Jesus in our lives.
