You Shall Be My Witnesses

Called to Evangelize

• Go make disciples of all nations. That's the essential mission of the church. We're all part of it.
• The Holy Spirit is the leader of this missionary work. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you," Jesus promised, "and you shall be my witnesses…to the ends of the world" (Acts 1:8).
• We are all called to witness, to share our faith. If we don't it, seems to say that it's not that important, it's not very exciting to be saved, to have everlasting life. What kind of Christian are we, then? Jesus said, "Go, make disciples of all nations." "You shall be my witnesses." "You are the light of the world." We have received the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Jesus. What are we doing with it?
• Some of you might say: What can I do? I would like to answer that very practical question for you today. It may seem difficult, because we are not accustomed, like certain Protestants, to witness to Jesus. In reality, it is very easy.

A Distinction between Evangelizing and Witnessing

• To evangelize involves more than simple witnessing. We need more knowledge of the Bible and of our Catholic faith to be able to explain it to others. Many Catholics feel they are not prepared to do this.
• Witnessing, on the other hand, is not preaching or teaching. It is simply telling a story, your story: what it means for you, what it does for you to be a Catholic. Do you find joy, courage to cope with life, in your faith?

Simple Examples of Witnessing to Jesus

The Samaritan woman whom Jesus met by the well of Jacob (Jn 4:5-42). Jesus was on his way from Jerusalem to Galilee. Passing through Samaria, he stopped to rest by a well, the famous well of Jacob, in Shechem, while the Apostles went to the village to buy food. A Samaritan woman comes up to draw water from the well. Jesus seized the opportunity to ask for a drink of water. How natural! It was a hot day. Jesus was tired from the journey. But, as the Samaritan woman remarked, "How come you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?" Remember Jews and Samaritans were so unfriendly they would not speak to each other. Jesus takes the situation as an opportunity to tell her about the "living waters" of grace he could give her. A lively dialogue ensues. The barriers of hostility have broken down. The woman is now receptive. Jesus reveals to her all her sins: the man you are living with is not your husband. The woman is impressed. This man is surely a prophet, she says to herself. So she asks him a question about religion: about the proper place to worship, Jerusalem or Mt. Garizim, and about the Messiah. When the Messiah comes, she says, he will tell us everything. And Jesus replies, "I am he, the Messiah."

When the woman returned to the village with her jug of water, she began to tell the townsfolk: "Come and see, someone who told me everything I ever did. Could this not be the Messiah?" She spoke with such emotion and conviction that the townsfolk believed her. They came out to see Jesus, begged him to stay with them awhile. Jesus stayed there two days. Many of them believed in Jesus. No longer because of the woman's testimony, but, as they said, "We have heard for ourselves and we know that this really is the Savior of the world." All because a woman dared to tell her story, how she met Jesus. The Holy Spirit gave her the boldness to tell her story, and his power touched the hearts of those who heard her.

A few points this story makes about witnessing. Jesus seized the opportunity that was there to engage into a conversation with a stranger. He asked for a drink of water. No high pressure selling of religion here. He engages in a very normal conversation. Little by little the woman's uneasiness in conversing with a Jew vanishes. Jesus gets more personal. Finally, the woman is so impressed that she goes and tells all the townsfolk about this extraordinary man, Jesus. They, in turn, are won over by Jesus himself.

No preaching. Just telling your story. How you met Jesus. How he makes a difference in your life. How, perhaps, you can better cope with problems. How you find a joy you didn't have before.

People don't like to be preached at, told what to do or not to do, etc. But everybody likes to listen to a story, especially if it's a personal story. People usually enjoy knowing about other people, what makes them tick, etc. That's why witnessing is so easy.

Other examples of witnessing to Jesus:

• Mary Magdalene on Easter morning: she was the first one to see Jesus risen, by the tomb where he had been buried. She is so filled with joy, that she runs off to tell the Apostles.
• Peter and the other Apostles at Pentecost: Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter makes a long speech, which focused on his personal experience of Jesus risen: "This is the Jesus God raised up, and we are his witnesses" (Acts 2:32). Yes, Peter had seen the risen Jesus with his own eyes. He had heard Jesus with his own ears. He had seen the risen Jesus eating with his disciples. That's what it means to be a witness: to speak of what you know first-hand; not by hearsay.

When you have good news you can't keep it to yourself

• The great Apostle Paul was burning with zeal to make Jesus known. Nothing could stop him. "The love of Christ impels us, urges us on…" (2 Cor 5:14). Again, he cries out, "Woe to me if I do not evangelize (proclaim the Good News)" (1 Cor 9:16).
• Peter and John, brought to trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin for telling everybody about Jesus. The Jewish leaders forbid them to speak any more about Jesus. But the Apostles replied boldly, "We cannot help speaking of what we have heard and seen" (Acts 4:20).

The Power of Witness

When I got involved with the Charismatics 11 years ago, I discovered the power of a witness, as I heard people share how Jesus had come into their lives in a new way, bringing them new life, joy, a greater love for God, for brothers and sisters, a new love for the word of God in the Bible, etc. Their lives were profoundly changed. Or, sometimes, some would share how God had healed them.

It struck me that there was more power in a witness talk than 10 sermons or teachings. Why? Because in a witness talk, God, Jesus become present for us in a unique way. You discover what he is doing in our midst here and now, wonderful things, in the lives of people you can see and hear. The Gospel seems pretty far in the past, so it seems; but when someone alive, in front of you tells you what God has done in his or her life, that sounds real, and it's God working in our midst today. Jesus becomes just as real for us today as he did 2000 years ago for those lived then. We see lives transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. We see miracles of healing too. When people witness to such things, we grow in our faith, and unbelievers are drawn to Jesus.

Why don't Catholics witness to Jesus?

• We haven't learned to do it in the past, yet, we should.
• Maybe we don't think we have anything in our life worth sharing. Maybe you just don't realize what difference Jesus makes in your life; the courage you find in your faith in God; the peace you get, perhaps, when you go to confession, etc.
• Maybe you're just too shy, timid to talk about your personal religion. Just think how people like to hear personal stories. It's not like preaching.

Think of the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Seize every opportunity to witness to Jesus. You have all received the Holy Spirit and his power to be bold enough to do just that.

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