A woman named Sally was about to cross a busy city street near a bus station, when an old man stopped her.ย โExcuse me, Maโam,โ he said, โbut I just want to take a moment to thank you.โย โThank me for what?โ she asked, and the man explained, โYou probably donโt remember me, but I remember you.ย I used to be a ticket collector at this bus station, and I got to recognize people who rode the bus every day, like you.ย You always said โGood morningโ to me with a cheerful smile, and I knew your smile was genuine and had to come from somewhere inside you.ย Then one morning I saw you with a Bible in your hand, and I figured that was your secret.ย So I bought one, too, and it worked:ย I found Jesus.ย So, thank youโ (Illustrations Unlimited, โWitnessing,โ p. 491, #4).
This is a simple example of a Christian sharing her faith, and having it make a difference in someone elseโs life.ย There are many ways we can do this:ย directly or indirectly, verbally or silently, individually or as part of a group.ย God wants us to be concerned not only with ourselves and our loved ones, but with everyone we encounter.ย Weโre supposed to make this a better world for one another; weโre also supposed to help others reach the life to come in the Kingdom of Heaven.ย The Lord calls each of us to grow in His loveโand one of the ways we do this is by sharing our faith in Jesus.
An important part of Godโs plan for us is sharing our faith, so that through us, others may also come to know the Lord.ย In the First Book of Samuel, the Old Testament priest Eli was in charge of the Ark of the Covenantโthe solemn religious item symbolizing Godโs presence with His people; Samuel was his young apprentice.ย It was a time when many people had forgotten God; even Eliโs own sons were unworthy to carry on their fatherโs task.ย Thatโs why God had announced that He would raise up a prophet โa holy man who would remind people of His laws.ย Samuel was to be that prophet, and today we see him being called by God.ย It took a while for the priest Eli to realize what was happening, but when he finally did, he urged Samuel to be open and responsive to the Lord.ย We may have the same opportunity in our lives, especially with young people entrusted to our care; we must help others listen to God and respond to His call.
In his Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul speaks on the importance of sexual morality; he was writing in a society almost as immoral as our ownโif such a thing can be imagined.ย By their proper use of sexuality, Christians would stand out, and thatโs what Paul wantedโfor only a faith recognized as requiring dedication and sacrifice can convince outsiders of its truth.ย Today we have the opportunityโand the urgent dutyโof helping shape societyโs values, not only in the area of sexuality, but in every area touching upon human life and dignity.ย Only if weโre committed to our faith will other people take it seriously.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist immediately pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Savior, to two of his own disciples, even though it meant theyโd leave him.ย When Jesus invited these two to go with Him, they went without hesitation, and as a result, they recognized and believed in Jesus as the Messiah.ย Then Andrew, one of the two, summoned his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus.ย Throughout this passage thereโs a theme of generosity.ย John was generous in sharing his knowledge of Jesusโ identity with two of his disciples.ย The two disciples were generous with their trust, even though they knew almost nothing about Jesus at that point.ย When Andrew discovered who Jesus was, he was generous in sharing this good news with Peter.ย In the same way, we must be generous in sharing our faith, for we canโt really say we love God unless we want other people to know and love Him, too.
In 1930, a disarmament conference was held in London in an effort to reduce the chances of war between the worldโs leading naval powers.ย King George V gave the opening address at the conference, which was relayed by radio to the United States.ย However, as his speech was about to begin, a cable broke in the New York radio station, leaving millions of listeners without a sound.ย A junior mechanic at the station, recognizing the importance of the moment, solved the problem by picking up both ends of the cable, allowing 250 volts of electricity to pass through him.ย This did him no lasting harm, but did allow the kingโs message to flow through him and reach millions of listeners (Nelsonโs Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, p. 784).ย Few of us will be called to do anything quite that dramatic or hair-raising, but all of us are expected to let Godโs truth and grace flow through usโfor itโs entirely possible that our encounter with someone may be the only opportunity he or she has to see the Gospel in action, and the only time that person experiences a personal invitation to turn to Jesus.
We must urge others to listen to God, as Eli instructed Samuel to do.ย We must live by high moral standards, as Paul reminded the Corinthians.ย We must imitate John the Baptist by pointing out Jesus to others; we must also have the courage to follow the Lord, as the two disciples did, and then we must share our personal knowledge of Jesus, as Andrew did with his brother Peter.ย These are all ways of evangelizing, or sharing our faith.ย Our good example, our simple acts of kindness, our prayers for those who do not believe, can all make a difference in someone elseโs life; our genuine concern for our neighbor, our efforts to help those in need, and our willingness to respect the dignity of everyone we meet, can bear witness to Jesusโ presence in the world.
It must have made Sallyโs day when the retired ticket collector thanked her for her Christian example.ย It will be a far more wonderful experience for us if someone comes up to us in Heaven and says โThank you for your Christian witness; itโs one of the reasons Iโm here nowโโthat will certainly be a joy that lasts for all eternity.ย Godโs Good News is meant to be shared.ย If we refuse to do this, weโre being selfish, but if we want others to know Jesus as we do, weโre showing that He truly is our Master and Lord.